Taped Torn Pieces & Catch Me
by mandymld
Summary: Who is Sabine Antonvich and what is she up to? What really happened when Jake died and who is playing games with the citizens of PC? Join us as we find the answers.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter1

Sam was annoyed when Jason answered the phone in the middle of their discussion. When he turned his back and walked over to the balcony she gave an irritated sigh and walked up the stairs to their bedroom. Returning a few minutes later, she became furious when she saw he was no longer there.

"_Morgan, speak of the devil and he appears." _The man in question walked out the door, not even remembering to close it as the words told him what to do and where to go.

Storming up to the bedroom, hearing sounds coming from Spinelli's room that made it clear he was playing computer games, she was still pouting when she fell asleep that Jason hadn't returned home. Morning time she called over to Sonny's house and asked if Jason was there.

"No, I had to send him to the Island to deal with something down there." said Sonny sweating as he read the ransom demand. Hanging up, he called Carly and said "Get to my house, immediately."

The eager blond called out to her nanny then drove to Sonny's estate. Seeing the clearly disturbed man pacing back and forth she said "Sonny what is it?"

Handing her the note, he listened as she gasped then said "We can tell no one. I mean it Carly, no one but the two of us can know about this."

Across town after an eventful night in which she had told Lucky the truth about Aidan, Elizabeth opened the envelope, still not believing Lucky's reaction to finding out about Aidan. In spite of hearing from Helena herself how she had manipulated things, Lucky had still blamed her. When he had then threatened to sue her for custody claiming she was an unfit parent, Siobhan of all people had stepped in and protested.

Oh, Elizabeth had no illusions about the reason, the Irishwoman wasn't doing it for Elizabeth or for her boys, no she was doing it because Siobhan knew that if Lucky had custody, Siobhan would be the one with the boys while Lucky continued on his merry way. Still hearing Helena's taunt about things not being what she believed, Elizabeth tipped the letter upside down.

As the various small pieces of papers fell out, she saw they were in Italian and was about to go find the Italian to English translator she had bought a couple of years earlier when there was a knock on her door. Opening it to see Dante Falconari there, she asked "May I help you with something?"

"May I come in." he asked formally. Once inside, he sat down across from her and said "Elizabeth, did you hear about the explosion at the BP gas station?"

"Yes, it was on the news this morning. Something about a chain reaction causing it to explode." she said then asked with a sinking feeling that something was wrong. "Why are you here, Dante?"

"There is no easy way to tell you but Lucky was there. He didn't make it." replied the officer as he sat there expecting her to cry.

Elizabeth did but she was more upset for what had been all those years ago then for the current man living as her ex-husband. Knowing she was going to need answers for her boys, asked "How did he become involved, was he responding?"

"No, I wish I could tell you that was what happened but it wasn't. Lucky was on his cell phone pumping gas when someone pulled up with a cigar in his mouth and started pumping gas. He went over tell the man to get rid of the cigar when there was some sort of electrical backlash from his phone to the pump. The pump exploded taking Lucky out."

"Oh my god." she said stunned.

"The man with the cigar, it wasn't lit and he had been repeatedly shouting that to Lucky who kept shouting back at him. Uh, he is in the burn unit at Mercy, he is going to live but the doctors say it is going to be a long painful process." reported Dante not adding that the family was threatening to sue Lucky's estate.

"Do you need me to identify Lucky?" she asked softly.

A bit uncomfortably he said "Since Lucky is married to Siobhan, Mac had her do it."

"Oh god, poor Siobhan." said Elizabeth. "I should go check on her."

"Actually that is why I am here, she is blaming you. I just thought you should know ahead of time." he said awkwardly.

"Thank you." she replied then when he left, cried for the boy Lucky had been before going to check on Aidan. Seeing the little boy lying there, asleep she couldn't help feeling a sad sense of safety in the knowledge that Lucky would not be able to sue her for custody now.

It had been three days since Sam had talked to Jason directly and all she had had were a couple of garbled voice mails. Seeing Michael leaving John Zachara's penthouse, she drew him in and asked if he knew where his Uncle was and if he had talked to him.

"No, but it's Uncle Jason, he can take care of himself." replied Michael shrugging her fears away as he left to take care of what his new boss wanted.

In the penthouse, John was reading the paper he had had to tape together, his mind trying to figure out why it had been sent to him. Deciding he had to find out, he checked to make sure he knew where the woman lived then drove over to speak to her just in time to see her backing out of her driveway.

Seeing Robin Drake on her front porch with the children, John followed a very determined Elizabeth Webber as she drove down to the docks then went looking for something. When she then went to talk to a dockworker and he got what she needed, he inserted himself into the conversation. "May I help you?"

Looking at the young mobster, then across the river to Spoon Island she said "It's urgent that I get out there today."

"Fine, give me a couple of moments." he said then arranged for a speedboat to arrive. Carly who had come looking for the mobster to warn him away from her son was furious to see Elizabeth Webber and the annoying man getting onto the boat. Then deciding it meant that they were behind what was happening, ran to where Sonny was at the warehouse.

"Sonny, Sonny, it is John Zachara, Elizabeth Webber that bitch, she is helping him!" she shouted as she rushed in.

Looking up from where he was dealing with Alexis, he frowned at his ex-wife then with a small nod towards Alexis smirked and said "I really doubt Elizabeth has anything to do with why Michael went to work for John."

Hoping and praying his volatile ex-wife went along with the story, he was relieved when she did as she tossed out there. "You don't know that, we all know she is going to be pissed that Jason and Sam are getting married, she might have done this to get revenge."

Alexis just waited until Carly stormed back out then said "She is reaching, why would Elizabeth care. I mean she had to know that all Jason and she had was a one night stand that went too far."

Sonny looked at Alexis who ducked her head, both knowing that that was a description of their relationship, not the very complicated one that existed between Elizabeth and Jason. Both well aware that deep down, Jason and Elizabeth had a deep connection that thank to those in their lives would never be allowed to flourish.

Alexis wanted her daughter happy and Sonny knew that Jason and Elizabeth was a disaster waiting to happen, so they both ignored the large pink elephant in the room and went back to discussing their daughter.

On the island, John offered his hand to Elizabeth who accepted his help as they walked up to the house. "Do you need help?"

Thinking on it, she looked at the man in front of her, then at the door. "No, but this should only take a few minutes. I have to retrieve something from the library."

"Okay, I will be wandering the grounds, if you don't mind?" he asked then went for a walk. He had heard that Jason Morgan was to marry Sam McCall here, and he didn't see the appeal of the place or of the woman.

Coming to the garden, he couldn't help remembering the ball and the terror that night. Shivering, he sat down on the bench, his mind recalling how he had met Ms Webber that night as she had gone to get flashlights on the upper floors while the rest of the group had done little more than complain.

Hearing shouting, he followed the voices and found himself entering the large monstrosity from the French doors in time to see Elizabeth wrestling with an older woman who was holding a gun on her. "Let Elizabeth go."

Turning, the older woman said "My oh my, Elizabeth, this one looks a little young."

"I told you to let her go." he ordered, removing the safety from the weapon. Helena grimaced but dropped the gun as ordered. "Elizabeth did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes." she said rubbing her arm as she picked up Helena's gun to take with them. "Helena, stay away from my family."

With a soft chuckle, the older woman said "You my dear will pay and pay dearly when I finally have time to deal with you, but right now, you are little more than a flea for me to swat away."

Shuddering the entire trip to the boat, Elizabeth dropped the bag inside and sat down, her head between her knees while John went to the small fridge with water up near the throttle and handed her an ice cold plastic bottle. "Who was that and why was she threatening you?"

"Lulu never told you about Helena Cassadine?" she asked then seeing his confusion, she filled him in on the history. "I thought she was in Greece, chasing after Nik. I had no idea she was here."

"What was so important that you risked coming over here?" he asked then heard her soft chuckle.

"Proof, proof that the Cassadines stole my family's legacy and I found it. Nik's uncle Stefan was trying to manipulate things so that Laura would be indebted to him and I am almost certain that what he did led to my grandfather's death. Someone sent me proof today. I just knew I had to get to it before anyone else found out."

"Do you need some help?" he asked. Seeing her distrust, he said "Look, there is nothing in it for me, other than annoying a few people, Spencers mainly if they see us together. I know that Ethan respects you immensely."

"Fine, but Michael Corinthos can know nothing about it. I don't trust him." she said knowing that if Sonny or Carly were to find out what she was about to do, they would be furious.

"Neither do I, have you never heard; keep your friends close but your enemies closer?" he asked with a wicked grin.

"Fine, I need to locate an attorney with no connections to the mob, nor to Port Charles." she said.

"I know a couple, I gather they have to be good enough to beat Diane Miller."

"No, well maybe but mainly they have to be good enough to take on Alexis Davis." she said with a cold grin.

At home, Elizabeth heard someone at her door, seeing Carly, she just went to the phone and called the police. "Mac, Carly Jacks is banging on my door, shouting hysterically. Can you send someone over?"

The commissioner did so, then decided to drive over himself. When the blond kept insisting that either Elizabeth talked to her or she would make her life a living hell, he was surprised at the bewilderment on Elizabeth's face, clearly she didn't know what was going on and then it got ugly when Carly tossed out there that she was glad Jake died.

Elizabeth gasped, then gathering her emotional strength looked at Mac and said "I want a restraining order and if she so much as violates it once, she had better be dealt with. No slap on the wrist. Carly, get the hell away from my house and never come back."

Mac went to the station, then after making the arrangements called on Diane Miller who already had a guest. "Good, this saves me a trip. Carly this is a restraining over keeping you one hundred feet away from Elizabeth Webber, her workplace, her home and her children. No calls, no visits and no intermediaries. If so much as one person you are friends with, family with, or even if Elizabeth says they told her they work for you show up near her, I will toss you in a jail cell so fast your head will spin."

"Mac, you don't understand, you have no idea..." Carly was frustrated, Elizabeth knew where Jason was, she was sure of that, and there was nothing she could do about it. "Well I want a restraining order against her."

"On what basis?" he asked amused then looking at Diane who was reading over the writ of protection. "Explain that to your client and you should know, there will be no second chances."

Across town, Sonny got yet another picture, then a notice of how much. Calling Bernie he asked for him to get the money out of Jason's accounts. "Sir I would if I could, but that is what I have been trying to reach you about. The WSB has somehow gotten Homeland Security to tag all of Jason's accounts."

"Then take it out of the business accounts." he said irate.

"I can't, they are tracking all deposits, all withdrawals. Since your accounts aren't being monitored, the money will have to come out of them." he said.

Sonny was silent then said "I will get back to you about that."

Lulu and Siobhan came to see Elizabeth as the red head stiffly apologized for her blaming Elizabeth. Her BS antennae going up, Elizabeth listened in disbelief at what they wanted. "I can't afford to do that."

"Elizabeth, please, I don't have that kind of money, neither does Lulu." pleaded the woman. "You however can get a loan."

"No, I am sorry Siobhan. I really am but I have two children to support and if you recall I was the one who paid for Jake's funeral, no one else. Lulu why don't you ask your Aunt Bobbie or Carly?"

Standing, Lulu snarled "Fine, be that way. Looks like I will have to take care of my brother like I always have. After all Lucky did for you."

"Lulu don't go there, you won't like my response." said Elizabeth evenly. "Now, Siobhan, I know that Lucky has insurance from the department. You as his wife should receive that, so why they are not taking care of things."

"That nasty family is suing Lucky's estate." she fumed. "I am sorry that he was burnt to a crisp but that wasn't my fault, why am I being punished, besides Mac said that your sons get half the money."

"Actually they don't." she said annoyed. "Look, Siobhan, I want nothing from Lucky, I want nothing from any of you. Lulu, what about the Quartermaines?"

The blond left as Siobhan got into her car before making the drive to the INS office. Being told that Lucky's death cleared her citizen papers and that she was free to stay, she drove to the apartment and was soon annoyed to find that Laura Spencer was coming to Port Charles.

"Was Lulu always like that to you?" asked the man coming in through her kitchen door. Startled, Elizabeth turned to look at John Zachara who said "Here. The names."

"Thank you." she said then hearing the school bus went to the front door as Cam hopped off and ran to meet her. Turning around she saw the Italian was already gone.

"Hi Mommy, guess what, I onlys have two more days of school."

"Mommy knows." she said hugging the curly haired boy. "So, I was thinking we need to talk about Daddy Lucky."

"Okie dokie." he said. Hearing that daddy Lucky had gone to protect Jake was a bit of a worry for Cam but he didn't tell his mommy that. When she asked if he wanted to see him, all Cam said was "No, that's okay."

Quietly playing in his room as thoughts whirled around in his head, at bedtime Cam went into Aidan's room and said "I will protect you, I promise."

His mom wiped the tears running silently down her face as she heard her son talking to his little brother. Heading back downstairs, she went to her closet, took down the small wooden case and taking a deep breath went out to the garbage cans in back to toss it out.

The man being paid to protect her, seeing the tears went to the can took out the box before being relieved for the night. "Boss, there is something you need to see."

John looked in the small box, seeing the post card, then shards of glass, then the quarter said "What is this stuff?"

"I don't know, but Miss Webber was crying when she threw it all out." he said.

John thanked the man then heard voices in the hallway, listening as Sam McCall screeched about not knowing where Morgan was, he went back inside and checked with his people. Hanging up after the last call, he couldn't help trying to figure out where Jason Morgan was.

Elizabeth dropped the boys off then met with the attorney. "Well do I have a good case."

"What case, this is a simple transfer of power back to where it belongs. Your family is the clear cut owners of the hospital. I can ask for punitive damages since they were responsible for you losing your trust fund." he offered.

"What about my family, do I have to notify them beforehand?" she asked. "My grams is going to want to give them a chance but I don't think that is such a good idea. Steven the same thing."

"No, it doesn't matter since your grandfather's will divides it equally between your siblings and yourself. You are just reclaiming what belongs to you." he stated.

"How long?" she asked knowing that Alexis would be the biggest problem. "I am worried about Alexis Davis since her daughter and I don't get along."

"No time at all. A week?" he said.

Sonny was sweating as Carly stormed back and forth. "So he only gave her a ride to Nik's, are you sure?"

"Yes. I wish it was more." he lied to her. He knew that Carly had created a scene at Elizabeth's house she had been raging for days about the restraining order and that there were frequent police patrols to keep her away. When she had gone to Lucky's funeral, saying that there was no way Elizabeth wouldn't show up, she had been beyond irate to find out that Lulu had forbidden her to go.

"I wish I hadn't given to Lulu's tears to pay for that stupid funeral." she fumed to Sonny. "That bitch has taken a week off of work, how is she supporting herself."

"Carly, enough. We have bigger things to worry about that Elizabeth Webber." he snarled. "Jason has been kidnapped and without a ransom demand we have no way of getting him back. Instead of complaining about someone who had nothing to do with it, find out where Jax was."

"Jax wouldn't do anything like that." she dismissed. "He knows I will cut off his being allowed to spend time with Joss."

Sonny picked up the phone, listened to what Alexis had to say and then told her he would be right over. "Carly stay away from Elizabeth, please. I have to go help Alexis, Kristina ran off with Ethan to the Dominican Republic."

"Why don't you let her sister bring her back?" she asked. "Let Sam be useful for a change."

"Because she would want to know why I wasn't going." he pointed out.

"No she won't. Just tell her that Jason asked her to do it. She will do anything for him." she said dismissively.

"Carly, I am going." he said then left enjoying the peace and quiet on the drive to the Lakehouse. Grimacing at Alexis' panic, he said "I called, the jet is waiting for us. What about Molly?"

"She left to visit with Ric for the next two weeks." she said. "We have to get going. We have to put a stop to this."

Agreeing, they were on their way to the airport when Sam knocked on the door of her mother's house. "Is this Alexis Davis' residence?"

"Yes." she told the man.

"I am here to drop off this copy of writ regarding a lawsuit for GH, should I leave it here?" asked the man. When Sam let him in then told him to put it on the table, she sighed for it then said thank you. When he had left, she heard her phone ringing. Unable to get to it quick enough, she was annoyed to get another voice mail from Jason.

Not happy, she went to GH to make an appointment for the following week with Kelly Lee who was on vacation. "Where is she, she knew it was important for her to be available when I need her?"

"Doctor Lehman is covering her patients, would you like an appointment with him?" asked the nurse only for Sam to storm out in anger. Seeing Carly and Jax arguing over their daughter, she just walked away, deciding to question Carly about the whereabouts of Jason later.

Exactly five days later, Alexis and Sonny got off the jet with their wayward daughter and the Australian who just smirked every time Sonny glared at him. Going home, she fell into bed after lecturing Kristina yet again.

Morning came and she walked into her living room to see Helena Cassadine sitting there. "What do you want?"

"Oh, a lot of things, you dead still leads the list." said the old woman. "I came to see you, to tell you that your mistakes have cost this family for the last time. I doubt Nik is going to be too happy with you either."

"What are you talking about now, Helena." she asked.

"Oh, nothing much." she said airily then asked. "Are you aware that there is an emergency board meeting today at GH?"

Seeing Alexis frown, she gave a quick laugh and said "Oh course not, why would you be? Oh, and Alexis have you checked in on your youngest child yet today?" Helena left after rattling Alexis cage, she had been sure that the annoying woman had some connection to whoever was taking pot shots at the old Queen but clearly she had either learned to play things closer to the vest or Alexis wasn't involved.

Calling Ric the moment Helena was gone, Alexis felt her hands shaking when he told her that Molly had had a small accident. "She was on the porch swing when the rope broke."

"I think Helena did it." she said wildly. "You have to send her home."

"If Helena Cassadine is once again after you, the last thing I am going to do is send our daughter home. Now that I know, I will protect her." he said hanging up and going to see his daughter. "Molly, it looks like you will be staying here a bit longer, something has happened that makes it safer."

"NO! I HAVE TO GO HOME TO HELP SAM PLAN HER WEDDING TO Jason." she announced.

"You can work over the phone." he said walking away, smirking at the idea of Jason stuck with Sam for the rest of his life instead of Elizabeth who was too good for either of them. Frowning though at the idea of his daughter that close to the hitman, he made a call and got his attorney to order Alexis to keep them apart.

Arriving at the entrance to the board room a bit early for her meeting with her relatives, Elizabeth saw her brother and grams were waiting. "Grams, Steven, this is Mr. Montgomery. I need you to listen to what he has to say."

Both of them were astounded at what the man was saying. "So you are telling me that Stefan Cassadine drove my late husband into an early grave so that he could control this hospital? That he made it look like we were bankrupt so that he could have an in with Laura Spencer?"

"I am afraid so." The man announced. "As of yesterday morning, Judge Jones, Judge Tomlin and Judge Washington of the appellate court agreed with the ruling of Judge Samuels of local courts. Your family specifically you, Mrs. Hardy and your grandchildren are the rightful owners of GH again with the money now back in the trust funds."

Steven sat there, what the man was saying was starting to sink in. Looking at his sister he said "When did you find out?"

"A couple of weeks ago, then I had a run in with Helena that convinced me to do this quietly. There is more, we were awarded punitive damages of 50 million. I was hoping we could set up at least forty of that as trust for the hospital." she suggested.

Audrey smiled and said "I agree."

"You should know, we ended up with Spoon Island and the estate as part of that. I was thinking we could have an auction, selling the items inside to create a scholarship for nursing, then turn the whole Island into a park or something." she added daringly.

"Oh dear, what about poor Nik, I mean that is Aidan's father." pointed out Audrey.

"No, actually he isn't. We ran another set of tests, since we now know Helena knew about them." reported the attorney. "Mr. Cassadine isn't the father."

"Oh dear and poor Lucky just died. I am so sorry, Elizabeth." said Audrey.

"Grams, that is just it, we are looking into the how, but Lucky isn't the father either." she said with a sigh. "I think Helena did something when I was at Shadybrook. The way she had free passage around the halls makes me think that there is a good possibility I wasn't pregnant before I went in there."

"Oh dear." said the woman looking in shook at her granddaughter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am." she said. "I still have to tell the Spencers, but they had no idea about the second tests. See I ran another set, they showed Lucky to be the father then during my run in with Helena she knew about them so I had several sets ran over the last few days. They all come back as neither of them being Aidan's father."

"That nasty horrible woman, why would she do this?" asked Audrey.

"I don't know and right now, we have something else to deal with. I called an emergency board meeting." Elizabeth informed her family. "I think it is about time that the hospital cleaned all the unwanted trouble away."

His lips twitching, Steven said "Then since a member of our family is to be the head of the board, I recommend Elizabeth."

"I will second that." said Audrey who decided that this was going to be one show she wouldn't miss.

A few hours later, the cantankerous board members had all shown up when Elizabeth entered the room. Carly turned and said "This is for board members only and you don't qualify in spite of squeezing out Cassadine's kid."

"I agree Carly, having kids doesn't qualify you to be a member of the board. Now if you will excuse me, I am here to see Alexis." she said moving past the brassy blond to the attorney. Handing her a paper from Nik giving her his voting rights, she said "Will you please explain to Carly what that says."

"Carly she is to be here." said Alexis frowning a bit when Elizabeth moved to the head chair. "However, Elizabeth while Nik gave you his voting right, that is my seat."

"Actually it isn't. See what Nik signed gave me the right to vote for him, but that has nothing to do with my sitting here." she said looking around. "Mr. Quartermaine, you have been on the board a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes." he said cautiously wondering what was going on.

"Well do you have a copy of the original board charter?"

"It's on the wall over there, behind the picture of the hospital. I donated my copy after the fire." he said then saw her stand to go over and remove it while Alexis took the opportunity to sit in the head chair.

Elizabeth removed the yellowed paper and said "Lee Baldwin sent me a copy of this, so did my grams. Alexis, you are an attorney, please read this."

Alexis was annoyed but saw Edward and some of the other board members waiting expectantly while Sonny said "Is this really necessary?"

"I think we can indulge Elizabeth." said Mrs. Barrington.

Frowning but shutting up, they listened as Alexis read. "We the founding members of General Hospital shall only appoint to the board those with the honest desire to do good, those who have true concern for the hospital and its patients. We as the founders promise to protect the hospital against all outside interests that have a derogatory effect on the hospital."

"We shall not permit outside membership on this board to be passed on, it is to be earned by good works, by hard toil and by honest caring. No member shall put their own personal interests before this hospital's while serving on this board in regards to anything regarding this hospital."

"We shall appoint and reject appointments, remove membership from those we deem unfit to serve without prejudice. Our heirs shall continue this policy with the usual partnership agreements in place."

"So?" asked Carly. "Are you admitting you are unfit to serve."

"Alexis please read the signatures." said Elizabeth.

"Phillip Matthew Brewer, Steven Simon Hardy and … Lars Peiter Webber." she stated.

"As of last Friday, my attorney received proof that Stefan Cassadine illegally gained ownership of GH from my family. As of yesterday the NY State Appellate court agreed. This morning a meeting was held with the remaining partnership members and I was appointed Head of this Hospital so Alexis would you please get your skinny rear out of my chair." said Elizabeth with a cold smile.

There was silence in the room as what she was saying sank in. "Yes, I think you are starting to understand. Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted Alexis, Nik gave me his voting rights but since he never had any rights to begin with, it is null in void, just like your appointment as legal council for the board."

Alexis swallowed hard as she stood, then said "Helena, Helena did this?"

"No, but she tried dang hard to prevent it from happening. I think she was a bit pissed to find out you had run off with Sonny at such an important time, but it didn't matter. My new attorney, Jackson Montgomery handled things. You should know, Cassadine Industries also had to pay 50 million in punitive damages."

Alexis sank into the empty chair as she said "Helena is trying to kill me and my family and it is all your fault."

"Blame me if it makes you feel better but I had nothing to do with it." said Elizabeth who then said "Mr. Quartermaine, Edward, my grandfather appointed you to this board, I have to agree with his choice. Mrs. Barrington, Mr. Brockway, Mr Jefferies. You all have proven yourself to be fine upstanding members of this board and society."

Nodding at her, Amanda Barrington ducked her head to hide her smile. She got the feeling that a certain trashy blond was about to be cut off at the knees.

Elizabeth turned to Tracy and said "You, Tracy are more than welcome to remain a member of the board, while I may have reservations, I am hoping that you will live up to the faith your mother had in you."

Jax saw her look at him then was a bit surprised at what she had to say. "Jax, you however are on probation. While I agree with you in regards to Carly, that is something that should have never involved this hospital. One more incident like that, I will put someone else in your seat."

Carly smirked, she knew that Elizabeth' wouldn't dare to take her on.

Looking around, Elizabeth said "Mr Mayor, your appointment was by the Cassadine family when they were trying to cull favor. I have no need to do so, you are dismissed, I have invited someone else to take that seat."

Outside, Maxie Jones was pacing back and forth, wondering why she was there. Steven Webber opened the door and said "Please come in."

"Why am I here?" she asked as she entered the room and saw the strange assortment of people.

"Maxie I am appointing someone onto the board who has experience with transplants and frankly we would like you to take the seat." offered Elizabeth.

"Wait, how can you do that?" she asked still confused.

"Because the Cassadines had to return what they stole from my family, we are the owners of GH. Would you please take the open seat." she said then heard Sonny complaining. "Mr. Corinthos, Nik was even younger than she was when he was appointed. By the way, you are dismissed. Thank you for your donations over the years but you have certainly taken more than your fair share of favors from this hospital,"

"You can't do that." he protested. "I bought this..."

"Sonny board seats aren't for sale. Please exit with some dignity." she said then looking at Carly whose face was red and who was starting to stand added "Thank you for having the sense to leave without my having to humiliate you."

"Oh no, I am going no place." she said. "You wait and see, you are not kicking me off this board."

"Oh one more thing, unless it involves emergency surgery I would prefer if the Spencer, Corinthos, and Cassadine families were to get their medical needs elsewhere." she said handing them paperwork. "This makes it official."

"You can't do that." shrieked Carly.

"Mrs. Jacks, I am Jackson Montgomery, I assure you, she can." said the man entering the room. Alexis flinched when she saw the tall blond she had gone to school with. She knew he had turned down a judgeship and several federal appointments and it bothered her that she had lost to him without even there being a trial.

Standing, she walked out with Carly and Sonny then listened as he called Diane and demanded her presence at the hospital immediately. When the tall red head entered, she read the paperwork and said "I had heard Mr. Montgomery was thorough. There is nothing I can do, Sonny. Alexis, I saw Sam pulling in as entered, you might want to let her know, since she is included in this."

Sam meanwhile was fuming as she shouted at the woman. "I made the appoint with you last week. Do you have so little brains you have already forgotten."

"Ms. McCall like I have been trying to tell you, I remember the appointment but you are no longer a patient at the hospital. I believe your records are waiting to be picked up downstairs." When the angry woman left, she went back to the computer to find out who Dr. Lee's next appointment was.

Kelly meanwhile wasn't too happy with the rules, she didn't like that the board was dictating who her patients were but was well aware that she was well paid for her skills and just went to deal with her next patient.

Later on, she was invited into the board room, a bit surprised to see only Elizabeth she asked "Do you know why I was called in."

"I just wanted to let you know that you are more than welcome to treat Sam McCall elsewhere, but I don't want her here that is why her appointment was canceled and since I am the new Head of the Board I make the rules."

"What?" she asked then said "I know you were involved with Jason Morgan, but really Elizabeth, Sam needs specialized care that I can only give her here."

"I am sorry but I refuse to do anything to help the woman who watched as my son was kidnapped..." Elizabeth filled Kelly Lee in on all Sam had done. "That is to be kept between us."

White, the woman said "I wish I had known. Sam McCall no more deserves to be a parent than that sick bastard Franco. How can Morgan live with himself?"

"I don't know and am now past caring. If they want a kid, they can take help from someplace else." she announced.

Sam listened to Alexis then said "I will go to Edward, trust me he will help."

Edward had just heard from Audrey Hardy what Elizabeth had told her. His hands shaking he said "So, we didn't know about Jake because... how could Jason be so stupid, how could your granddaughter be that thoughtless?"

"I don't know, but I think that I was a major part of the problem along with those three people kicked off the board today along with Lucky." she said with a sigh. Hearing his assistant announce that Sam McCall was waiting to speak to him, he said "Send her in in five minutes."

Audrey went out the side door then left while Edward let her into his office. Upon being told she had had a positive home test and how she needed Kelly Lee, he said "I am sorry, Sam but the whole board voted and the majority won. You will have to find another doctor. How about I have my people do some research into who is the best, I will fly them in and you can get cared for at Mercy."

Gritting her teeth in anger but accepting his offer, she left and went home to the penthouse where she looked at the stick showing she was pregnant again with excitement and a sense that she was finally going to have everything she had ever wanted.

John heard the knock on his office door and let in a wide eyed Elizabeth Webber who said "How can you have women do that kind of stuff?"

"Because I run a clean place, make sure there is no hooking and that they aren't on drugs. This is a safe place for them to work." he said with a sigh. "Elizabeth, not everyone has the strength and the courage you have. Why are you here, by the way?"

"I wanted to thank you, Mr. Montgomery has been a great help." she said, Then asked "Why did you help?"

"Because I received a note telling me that if I helped you, I would find the answers I seek." he admitted.

"What answers?" she asked.

"I don't know and that was what had me curious." he said. "Besides, my inside man tells me that you have Sonny so pissed he doesn't know whether he is coming or going."

"Good, I am done letting people walk all over me." she said then added. "I was going to invite you to dinner, along with a few other people who helped. Will you come?"

"Are you sure, I am not exactly dinner party company." he said reluctantly. "Some of your closest friends hate my guts."

Thinking back on Robin's tirade about Elizabeth's stopping Sonny's family from being treated at GH and how she had stopped it, Elizabeth said "I am rather upset with a few of them at at this moment."

"So you are using me to make a point?" he asked amused.

"No, I am inviting you to dinner as thanks, What they take from it, is on them." she said. A couple of hours later, John wiped his sweaty hand on his pants as he knocked at Elizabeth's blue painted door. Being let in by a silent Patrick Drake he looked around and saw Maxie Jones of all people.

"Hi." he said awkwardly.

Nodding still a bit pissed off for the help he gave Lisa she went to the kitchen only to laugh as Cameron was directing his mom into how to make his cool aid. "Cam, I promise I will make it just like Grams does."

Darkly the little boy walked past the blond muttering that mommy didn't put in enough sugar, that grams put in more, while she watched Elizabeth dump part of the cup back into the sugar container. "Elizabeth, uh, is there anything I can do?"

The other woman turned then said "No, all I have left is to make Cam's cool aid."

"How about I do that, John Zachara is here." she said just wanting away from the man. "How do you know him anyhow?"

"Oh, when I needed a ride to Spoon Island when I was looking for proof, he helped me with Helena Cassadine." she told the blond who she was still uneasy with but trying to get passed the past.

At the table while Steven was coming downstairs after putting Aidan down, she greeted the Italian who said slightly sheepish. "I didn't know if you drank, so uh, here."

Taking the large loud colored poppies, she put them in water and on the mantle telling him they were lovely as Robin and a few others joined them. Kelly was glaring at Robin while Epiphany was laughing at whatever Audrey and her were talking about.

Soon all were seated then Elizabeth thanked them for coming. "I should warn you, I didn't cook. Steven did."

After some goodhearted teasing they were all enjoying the roast, potatoes and carrots except Cam who was sliding his carrots onto Patrick Drakes plate. John watched as the surgeon covered the for little boy by eating them and then snickered when he heard what Maxie whispered to him.

"Thanks, lady." Cam said loudly then turned to his mommy. "See she makes cool aid like Grams."

There were soon a few more chuckles while Elizabeth looked between the blond who was glaring at Cam and telling him it was a secret and Robin who for the first time that evening laughed. Matt was laughing at his girlfriend's outraged expression at getting outed by the person she had been doing it for.

"Elizabeth, what happens in regards to GH now?" asked Patrick. "Will you still be nursing?"

"Yes, of course. I only took the last week off because Mr. Montgomery wanted me available for court. I love my job." she explained. "GH is going to stay the course, with a few exceptions. I do want us to look into doing more transplants. We are setting up a fund with the punitive damages to look into that. And we are also going to auction off the remaining items on Spoon Island, Nik offered it up when he heard what had happened."

"So that is where you are getting the money for the scholarships?" asked Epiphany. "You are doing good girl. Your grandfather would be proud, I think."

"I know he would." said Audrey. "I only wish he was alive. That Stefan Cassadine went this far but I am glad Elizabeth that we can return GH to the glory it used to."

"Me too." she said while Kelly asked about how she was related to two of the founders. After Audrey explained about WWII and lovers torn asunder and how Steve had married Helene, then how Lars had come back. "Wow, grams I didn't even know all of that."

"It was a very lovely story with some very terrible moments in between. Steve did what he thought was right, then Lars came home. Back then there weren't DNA tests and of course with your father being a blond, we just accepted he was Lars." she said.

"When I met your grandfather, Lars had already died and Helene had moved south with her daughter. Thankfully she figured it out and Steve learned the truth. Though, your father and he never were as close as they should have been." she said with sigh.

"Do you have any aunts or uncles to run things with you?" asked Johnny who was told that Tommy worked for DWB with Noah.

"Then there was Uncle Rick. He was married to Laura Spencers mother then to Aunt Ginny before he was killed here in town."

"You forgot his on and off relationship with Monica." said Audrey who filled them in. "Monica fell for Alan but they were always a part and she would fall back into her past with Rick. I never understood that, I mean of the three, Jeff was the best looking."

"Grams, who says looks have anything to do with it, because face it, dad was always about medicine first." pointed Steven. "In the end, though. Alan and Monica were happy."

"They were, once they put each other first. It is a hard lesson to learn in love." she said with a smile. "Your grandfather and I learned it after a couple of messes but you have to put the one you love before your friends, before your other commitments, the only thing that should come before love is your children."

There was a sense of quiet around the room then Robin reached under the table and grasped Patrick's hand. They had been arguing about her defending Sonny to Elizabeth and Audrey's words were reminding her of how they had ended almost losing everything in the first place.

"Mommy, what is for dessert because the Penguins start in a few minutes." asked Cam.

"Brownies with hot syrup and ice cream." she said. "Maybe if you are good and only drink milk with them I will put on some whipped topping and a cherry."

"Does that count for me too?" asked Matt who was swatted by Elizabeth who said "Yes."

Soon Matt, Steven and Patrick went to join Cam for the Penguins while John the only other man stayed with the women who were laughing. "Uh penguins?"

"Cam's favorite cartoon, it has drawn those three in as well thanks to Emma." said Robin not liking he was there but she had heard how he had saved Elizabeth from Helena.

John followed Elizabeth to the kitchen and asked if she needed help. "Maxie has the last bit."

"Don't you mean bite?" he asked as they caught the blond eating the crumbs from the pan. "I am sure Elizabeth won't care if you were to eat another brownie, Maxie."

"Uh, I ate the last." she admitted.

Rejoining the rest of the women, Epiphany was asking Elizabeth to work the next few mornings while Robin was moaning as she took another bite. "Would you like us to get your husband my dear?" asked Audrey.

Flushing, Robin said "No, he won't share and I know that Maxie probably ate the last of them."

"She did." John offered up then feeling a bit awkward slowly strayed to where the men were watching cartoons with the little boy. Deciding he needed a bathroom, he wandered up the hall and saw the empty bedroom with no furniture then got that it had to have been Elizabeth's late sons. Going inside and picking up the photo, he said "What happened to you was wrong, I can't believe Spencer didn't go to jail for it."

"No, but then I was a mess and my guilt didn't let me admit he needed punished either." said Elizabeth.

John took a deep breath then said "I just never got it, I saw Morgan with you, at the Ball, he loves you, yet he walks away. To keep you safe. Seems to be you would have been much safer together as a family."

"Only if everyone in the family wants to be there and Jason never truly did. It's fine, I came to terms with it." she said swallowing her pain and her tears. "I just wish that I had left town before Jake was born, but who knows, something could have happened at anytime, any place."

"I uh, I am going to head out." he said. Looking at the happy little boy, he said "Morgan was a fool. I will never understand it but then it really is none of my business."

Leaving he saw her tears and felt bad for bringing up her pain as he quietly left. Audrey found her granddaughter in Jake's room and hugged her. "He would want you to be happy, Elizabeth."

"I just deep down, something tells me he isn't dead in spite of being there, in spite of seeing his body." she told her. "I spent a long time hating myself for the mess, but now, I have to move on, for Aidan and Cam's sakes but grams, I can't help wondering what I would do differently if given a second chance."

"We all do my dear." she said resting her head against Elizabeth. Robin who had come looking for Elizabeth to ask her privately to reconsider for Jason's sake about Sam heard as the older woman said "Then to hear that Mr. Morgan who walked away like he did is going to be father to that woman's child. A woman who watched as your son was kidnapped, then taunted you with it, then hired men with guns to threaten you, I am sure it has to hurt."

"No, if he loves Sam then I am happy for him. I just refuse to be a part of helping him, of helping her. Michael, Carly and the rest of them were more important than Jake, than me. When I heard he was considering leaving the mob to help Carly with her custody battle, it was the last straw grams. He couldn't do it for Jake, for us, but he could for them. There is nothing left in my heart for him."

Robin was shocked as Elizabeth told her grams about Jason asking her to marry him, about taking it back, of taking over so Carly wouldn't run. Leaving she went down and putting a smile on her face suggested that Emma needed her bed. Gathering Patrick they walked to their house, her mind on all she had learned and decided to tell Sonny that there was nothing she could do.

Matt and Maxie meanwhile had joined Cam in watching the cartoons while Epiphany had left to head to the hospital. Arriving she saw Michael Corinthos being escorted in and announced. "You need to take that young man to Mercy since that isn't life threatening."

Max protested but was told to call Diane Miller who gave him the news. The furious blond teenager was arguing when he was told either he left or he was under arrest. Getting stitched up, he went home and listened to his mother's version then to bed.

Early the next morning, he got the truth and said to John Zachara. "I want to cut ties with my family."

"Why?" he asked.

"This." he said handing him the newspaper where they had a photo of Sonny shouting at someone then the article about GH and how the other people who had lost their board seats had reacted with more class. "I don't want to be known for that kind of crap."

"Fine but you should know if I hear about you harassing Elizabeth Webber or anyone in her family or that hospital, I will make you pay." he said with a glare.

Michael went down to Kelly's to talk to his grandmother about getting room there only to be told she might lose the diner. "Before Luke fled town, he turned his shares over to his children. Lucky's estate is being sued and I don't have that kind of money to buy out his sixth."

"Okay, I can stay elsewhere so that you are earning money on the room." he said. Then turned down her offer of the Brownstone as he explained wanting to be away from his mom. Checking in at the Haunted Star, he was shocked to find that Lulu was in the same fix.

"I don't have my income from Crimson, so I have only the casino." she said. "If you want you can stay but Lucky's lawsuit is coming after a third of the boat as well."

He didn't think his probation officer would go for it, so he was walking back when he saw the sign on the studio building. Renting the one small room, he arranged for some furniture, getting rid of the rock hard sofa inside along with the weird slats of wood.

Arriving at Abby's to find Sam and her talking, he felt like he was a third wheel so he quickly left and went back to his new place. Finding the art book in the refuse, he sat down and read it after turning off his phone and enjoying the peace and quiet. Since getting out of prison he had felt like a stranger in his own family, like he didn't belong. He had blamed it on the rape but in truth he was coming to face that it went back a lot longer than that.

Elizabeth had finished work and was folding laundry when she saw the brown envelope in the mail. Picking it up, she found more notes in Italian. Putting them together so she could read them, she sat down and scanned it into the computer like her brother had shown her and soon had a map and but not much else since the words seemed garbled in translation.

Hearing a knock, she turned off the monitor and was surprised to see Johnny at the door holding up a letter. "It says the same thing as the last one. I thought I would just come over."

"How is your Italian?" she asked letting him in.

"Not so good, my Sicilian is better." he said then told her. "My guess, your letter is in Sicilian this time not Italian since mine was."

John read them then said "These are written as riddles."

"I know the first one was the same." she said with a sigh. "The map is of Port Charles but then these smaller ones, I have no idea."

"I think we should follow up on this.," he told her then asked if there was someone who could stay with her boys. Elizabeth hesitated then called her grams who came over. "Grams, I think I have to track this down, it was the same person who sent me the letter about the hospital."

"I will stay here, sleep in your room, if you don't mind." she said looking at the map. "This first one, do you know what it is, Elizabeth?"

"No." she admitted.

"Kelly's. Before Ruby owned Kelly's a woman named Rose did, her husband was a cop and their son left town to become a lawyer elsewhere." she explained. Elizabeth said thank you and hugged her grandmother who wasn't as thrilled John Zachara was with her but getting that she would need some protection.

At Kelly's, they saw the diner was still open and John said "Why don't you get a couple of milkshakes while I see if I can have my people find out the history of this old building we have to go to next."

"Wait, what building." she asked then saw the map and said "Oh my, that is Deception, or was Deception."

"You know it?" he asked. Getting the story, he said "Lets get those shakes and go track this down."

After arriving at the building, they were led to Wyndham's department store and up to the mattress floor. Finding the hidden door, they went down the spiral staircase, the only light John's flashlight. "Wait, there is light down there."

Turning off the flashlight as they heard the announcement that Wyndham's was closing in a half hour, Elizabeth saw the light was from a peephole into the woman's changing room. "Let's go."

Rushing into the rooms, Elizabeth gasped as the dress. "John, we have to get out of here."

"What is it?" he asked looking between the dress clearly out of style and the upset woman. "Elizabeth..."

"I wore a dress like that once. Come on, I don't want to be in the park after dark and I think I know the next spot." she said her voice trembling. Arriving at the bench, she sat down on it and in a monotone told John about one of the worst days of her life.

Awkwardly hugging her, he never saw Spinelli walking by with narrowed eyes as he saw the Maternal One with the Demented Don's son. Rushing home, he quickly told Sam who said "Let it go, she is just trying to get Jason's attention."

"Have you heard from Stone Cold?" he asked. "I miss my master."

"Just another missed voice mail." she said "Are you sure you can't track him down."

"I have tried goddess, but the godfather has assured us that my master will be home soon." he said.

Sonny paid the ransom well aware that Jason would pay him back when he returned. An hour later, his phone beeped and a message received. Another photo, then the words that sent him into a rage. "Ha-ha, I don't have him. Isn't photo shop great?"

Destroying his study he called Carly who once again rushed out as another text arrived. "But since you were so kind to pay up. He was grabbed by a former South American rival of yours. If you want to know more, give me a public sign and Mr. Corinthos, if one whiff of this goes public, my guess he ends up dead instead of just kept away."

"Sonny, who is it. Alcazar? Ruiz? Someone else, who else is there?" she asked as she paced back and forth.

"I don't know." he muttered. "I have no idea."

Johnny meanwhile had dropped Elizabeth off then went to do some research. Finding that Tom Baker had been let out of prison in January 07, he went to find out a current location. Finally heading to bed, he couldn't help it as his mind went to Elizabeth, the woman that reminded him of his own mother. Feeling lonely, and not for the first time missing his mother's soft touch, he went to sit in the window, thinking on how things in his life would have been different if she had lived.

When morning came, Audrey was horrified at the trail Elizabeth had followed the night before. "Oh my dear, maybe you should stop now."

"I would grams, but something is telling me to go on with it, to find out what this person is trying to show us." she said. With a faltering smile she said "I talked to Steven last night, for the first time, I told him the whole story about my rape. Every thing that happened. It was cathartic."

Soon getting the boys ready, they drove to GH where Tracy was waiting for their quick meeting. "I am going over to Spoon Island with the auctioneer, Elizabeth."

"Thank you for doing this Tracy." she said then watched as the woman left. Getting to work, she was lectured again by Epiphany for daydreaming when she found herself staring at a beautiful bouquet of roses. "Sorry Epiphany, whose flowers?"

Startled, she said "Yours, didn't you see the card?"

Reading the accompanying note and that they were from Edward Quartermaine, Elizabeth had a little laugh at the way it ended then said "As lovely as they are, they are too many. Why don't I have some vases sent up and we can distribute them to some of the long term patients."

Gathering candy stripers, she said "Keep a half dozen for me but give the rest to the patients."

Hearing her name being called, she saw Bobbie standing there looking both embarrassed and upset. "We can use an empty room."

"First, I get why you did what you did." she said. "I am not here to talk to you about that. This is about Lucky and the lawsuit. I need your help."

"Shouldn't you be talking to Siobhan, she was his wife." she pointed out.

"Elizabeth, Alexis says that we have no way of winning the case, I just need you to take the stand and say how upset Lucky was so that it would mitigate the damage."

"Bobbie, I won't lie. Lucky wasn't upset, I was. He was threatening to take my children away." she said. "Now we have learned the truth, that Helena was the one messing with my life. It's funny, everyone warned me away from Jason because of the danger and in the end, the danger in my life was from the Spencers. When Luke is home, in a jail cell for the death of my son like he deserves, then and only then will I even consider helping because I owe none of you."

Swallowing her disappointment, Bobbie said "I understand. I was just hoping for my sake..."

"Bobbie, a few years ago, maybe but now, I go to Kelly's out of habit, but I have slowly been changing that, I avoid anyplace that has connections to your family. You have take and taken from me for the last time."

John saw the blond looking around the room with disgust when he came down to the bar. "You wanted to speak to me."

"Yeah, I want to know what you found about Tom Baker." said Steven who sat down then stood up again.

"You act like you have never been in a strip club before."

"I haven't." he said with a frown. John said follow me and led him up to the office. "I really am not comfortable discussing my sister in a place like this."

"Let me tell you something, most of these women, look, I am not going to get into a moral discussion with you about this place. I am also not discussing Tom Baker with you." John had already decided that the man had to die and was going to take care of it that afternoon.

Steven saw the look in his eyes and said "My sister wouldn't want that, even if I do."

"Want what?" he asked.

"For you to kill him, look, she deserves the chance to face him. When we talked last night, she said she had always wanted a chance to face him, to tell him he didn't break her." explained Steven.

"Fine." said John deciding that could be arranged only to find a syringe tossed onto his desk. "What is that?"

"Sodium pentathol. This one is a sedative." Said the blond holding another needle. "I am coming along."

"I don't think that is such a good idea." said Johnny only to see the man pull out a gun.

"I am not asking. I used to be a fed, Zachara. I know how to handle myself." he said green eyes meeting hazel.

"Fine."

Elizabeth had seen Steven leaving and was muttering to herself that they weren't going without her when she recalled her car was out front. Letting Audrey know, she was told be careful as she changed into a different outfit and pulled her hair up into a pig tail.

When John and Steven came out the back door she said "Did you two really think you were going to leave me behind. This is my life, I won't let anyone arrange it for me, not anymore."

"Fine, get it." said John knowing that this was going to be a disaster.

The long drive to Wolcott down the 104 had Steven watching his sister who was going over the translations on the notes. "John, what did this mean?"

Pulling over he said "I don't know, that part I don't get The closest word in English is substitute but that makes no sense with the rest of the sentence. Twin or something like that was what should be there according to the rest of the sentence."

Pulling up to the brick building, she said "He is working as a photographer again. How is that possible? I thought he couldn't according to the terms of his parole."

Having no idea, John asked Elizabeth to wait there until they had checked out the building. "He would recognize you and we don't want that."

Agreeing, she sat in the back seat of the truck with the tinted windows as the two men went inside. Seeing the sign that said Tom Baker Photography they entered the right office only for a man to come out. Steven found he couldn't move as the man came forward.

"Oh, well I guess it is a modern world, now a days. So you which of you is Jules and which of you is Adam. I have to tell you you are my first same sex couple photo. Do you know what you have in mind or should I should you some of my work?"

Steven's mouth started to move but no words came out as he starred at the familiar looking man who said. "Now, don't be embarrassed. We all need to find the right person for each of us."

When he sat the album on the counter in front of us, John pretended to hear something not at all happy to see that like he had expected good guy Steven Webber had frozen up. When he asked if someone was there the tall sixtyish man said "No, it is only us. I don't like staff around while I photograph."

John was reaching into his pocket for the needle when he felt a steel grip tighten around his arm then heard Steven in an unusually high voice say "We will be back in a few, I need to talk to my partner."

"I will be waiting, you booked for the whole afternoon." said the pleasant man while Steven all but physically dragged john out. "It's not him."

"What? How can you be sure? I mean the mug shot was a mess." he said thinking the other man chickened out. In the truck, Steven said "Elizabeth, go inside and set up a photo shoot."

"Are you crazy, you can't send your sister in there with that piece of crap." yelled John who saw the other man's smirk. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Peanut, trust me, please?" he asked. "I promise, that the man inside, it isn't Tom Baker but he is someone we know. I just need to know how he reacts, we will be right behind you."

Elizabeth saw Steven's face and agreed, telling John her brother wouldn't do this without a reason. Entering a few steps in front of them, she stood there in shock as the tall man approached. "Do you need photos taken my dear? Mayhaps for an engagement."

"Uh, not..." Turning to the two men she said "Call Monica, now!"

"Why and who is Monica?" asked John bewildered at the turn of things.

"Sir, I am sorry to take up your time." said Steven just as a happy couple turned up and announced they were running late but that they were expected. In the car, Steven's hands shook as he made the call while John still didn't get what was going on. "Monica, it's Steven Webber. I need a huge favor and I can't explain the why. Can you drive down to Wolcott, immediately."

Monica wasn't so sure but she could hear something in his tone then said "It will take me a couple of hours."

"I will be at the Mayberry diner on Main Street." he said then when she hung up said "We might as well get something to eat."

Monica arrived at almost four to find John Zachara sitting with Elizabeth and Steven Webber. "What is going on?"

"I have something you need to see." said Elizabeth gently walking her across the street. Monica shuddered when she saw the name of the man who had blackmailed her daughter and wasn't too happy to be pushed into the building.

"May I help you?" asked the man.

Stumbling backwards, Monica said "A-A-A-ALAN!"

The older man shook his head, then again and again as competing words filtered around in his head. Finally grasping his head, he fell to his knees and landed on his hand as the older blond screamed his name again. "I'm fine, for the first time... I am fine."

Sitting with his back against the reception desk, Alan looked in wonder between his wife, his beloved wife and Elizabeth Webber and said "You must have had quite a shock when you came in here."

"Dr. Quartermaine, I think we need to check you over." said Steven from the doorway while John was still reeling from all they had told him. Alan said he felt fine but would probably need a brain scan to find out what had happened to him, they then asked how he had ended up there.

"I woke up in a hospital, I was told my name was Tom Baker that I had been a prisoner at Pentonville. That I had no family. I moved here, set up shop when I was told I was a photographer. At least that explains why I was so bad at the beginning." he said ruefully. "Oh, you two aren't a couple either, aren't you?"

John laughed then said "No."

Alan explained about being lonely then how he had adopted another amnesia patient. "A young woman, but then they came for her. Turns out she had family. I miss her but then I was probably thinking of Emily."

"Alan, Emily was killed the night of her engagement to Nik, by Diego Alcazar." said Monica.

Alan cried for his lost daughter then said to Elizabeth, "You were pregnant with my grandchild when I died."

When she burst into tears, then ran out of the room, Alan felt sad at causing her pain while Steven went looking for his sister and found her at a cemetery down the street while John told them the story he had pieced together. "Oh Jason, he has the worst sense of what is right. That McCall woman, I can't believe we are going to be stuck with her, then to to lose Jake."

Monica and Alan stood, then Alan looked around saying. "What do I do with all my stuff?"

"Do you want to be a photographer, then be a photographer." said John. To him it was simple.

"I am going to keep it up, but for now, lets go find Elizabeth." said Alan who hugged the still tearing up young woman and said "My son is a fool, a huge sad fool who will someday come to realize way too late what he lost."

"I have to grab some clothes from upstairs." he said leading them into his place. Monica looked around, liking the simple furniture, the photos on the wall while Elizabeth was reminded of Jason's place before it was decorated by Brenda, then later Courtney and Sam.

Gathering what he needed, Alan asked "Did I have heart problems?"

"Yes." said Monica explaining.

"According to my doctor I am doing better, but he has me on a fairly restrictive diet." he told her as he suddenly laughed. "At least now I know why I considered him condescending for talking down to me. Oh, who is the chief of staff now?"

"I am sir." said Steven as they went to the truck. John had made a few discreet calls then asked Monica "Would you mind if my people exhumed the body in his casket?"

"I would, I want Mac to do it, then I am going to find out who is behind this and rip their heart out like they did mine." she stated.

In Port Charles Abby was not happy to have yet another run in with Micheal's father, this time he had pushed her a bit too far. Calling and leaving a message for Sam, she went to pack up her place and was on her way out of town before the sunset.

John's head bouncer was on the door when Dante showed up. "I need to speak to John."

"He is out of town, he should be back later, you can leave a message though."

"No, tell him to call me it is regarding Abby Havers." he announced then drove to the station where his brother was to join him. "Michael, there is no easy way to tell you but Abby was killed in a car wreck up on 20. Her brakes failed and she went over the embankment."

Michael went back to his bolt hold, stunned. He had warned her about those brakes, she had promised and promised to get them fixed. Curled up in bed with the yellow crocheted blanket he had found, he cried for lost love then slowly went to sleep.

Sonny heard the news then gave a cold smile. "Good, we didn't have anything to do with it, did we?"

"No sir." announced Max. "Sir, what do you want me to do with this?"

Taking the paper, Sonny called Carly "He wants us to announce we are getting remarried."

"Sonny, I can't. I only have temporary custody of Joss, Jax could take her away from me." she cried out.

"This is for Jason, Carly." he reminded her. "I will pick up the ring and meet you at the hotel. We can make a huge splash and announce it there."

Agreeing, she went to spend time chasing down Michael, knowing she had to let him know how sorry she was about Abby even if she wasn't. Getting no where, she went to see her mother who was explaining to Lulu what she had done. "What about the Haunted Star, they are trying to force me to sell it."

"I am sorry Lulu." she was regretfully telling the blond. "I just don't have that kind of money."

Carly grimaced, she had heard, Lucky's mess had cost the diner almost 25,000 and the Haunted Star had been valued at a quarter of a million. The burn victims family was to receive 80,000 at least from it's sale.

That still left over a half a million dollars they were owed and she was afraid that someone was going to come and ask her for the money. Carly hadn't been too happy to be told after this divorce she wouldn't be getting any alimony. Instead she had to make due with what she had.

"We have a hearing tomorrow." Bobbie was wearily telling Carly. "Siobhan is getting nothing from Lucky's insurance. They are getting the whole hundred thousand, now they are looking into Laura's house because she had legally turned it over to him at one point. There might not be any papers returning it to her."

"I am sorry Mama, thanks to my divorce I am short funds myself." she said. Thankfully the child support she received was enough to keep things going to support her family and herself. Carly was debating actually marrying Sonny again, instead of just faking it as she went to the hotel after all she could use the funds.

Calling Tracy, Monica asked for her to be at the house in the morning then went to call Jason. Getting Sam, she grimaced but told her that she needed Jason to come over first thing in the morning, that it was important.

Sam hung up, then decided since she was a member of the family and she couldn't reach Jason she would go instead. As various members of the Quartermaine family got calls, Alice was looking at the menu Monica had requested for dinner the next evening and wondered about a large cake.

Mac was at home when he was called by the desk sergeant. "Sir, Monica Quartermaine is looking for you, she is insisting I call you and tell you she is on her way."

Changing out of his sweats, he reminded himself that he had already skipped one workout earlier this week and went to have a salad. Looking at the unappealing dinner, he heard the door bell and went to open it. "Monica."

Walking in, she made sure the door didn't close all the way as he move towards the furniture. "Mac, I had some good news this evening and I need you to look into something for me."

"Monica I am no longer a private detective." he said then his jaw dropped when a very fit Alan Quartermaine entered. "Oh, I guess this falls under my job description."

Sitting down, they explained everything including Elizabeth and the two men's part in it. Mac put that to the back of his brain, almost certain that he didn't want to know more as he wrote down everything and promised Monica he would arrange for the body to be exhumed in the morning. "Thank you Mac. I am not telling the family until tomorrow morning."

Sneaking her husband into the mansion, catching a case of the giggles as they went to her room, she said "We have to be quiet."

Alan was shocked at how comfortable it was to be in his home, with is wife as they were curled up together in bed. Morning came and Monica hurried down to let in Elizabeth and the boys like Alan had requested. They had had a long talk and had decided that no matter what, Elizabeth was a part of their family and if it made Jason uncomfortable what did they care since he kept them out of his life anyhow.

Tracy soon joined them for breakfast while the boys went to play with Alice who was promised an explanation later while Audrey walked in the front door looking like she smelt something funky under her nose. Monica was about to ask if the gardener had already spread the fertilizer on the plants when Sam wanted in.

Taking in the other woman who was wearing an outfit that looked the appropriate size for her youngest sister, the high heeled boots, the gun she said "That isn't allowed in my house. Get it out of here."

Her mouth open to protest, Sam returned to her car and tossed it on the seat before returning to the door which had been closed. Furious to find it looked, she was even angrier when Elizabeth answered it. "What are you doing here?"

"None of your business Sam." she said. "The family is meeting in the rose gardens. We are only waiting for Jason."

"You, you can wait until you face turns blue, Jason isn't coming to see you." she sneered.

"Ah Sammy, the gloves come off when Jason isn't around. I am amazed at how well you fake compassion when he is around. Don't worry, I wouldn't want that rat bastard after he took your skanky ass back. I am here because well I was invited. Why are you here?"

"I am here in Jason's place since he couldn't be." she said walking past her towards the living room.

"Uh Sammy, where are you going?" she asked.

"The rose garden." she said rolling her eyes.

"Then you want to follow me. The actual garden is this way." she said leading the way as she felt the holes being bored into her head from Sam's anger.

"Monica, my dear, what is going on?" asked Edward as she entered carrying a breakfast tray. "While this is lovely, and sweet Elizabeth, how lovely of you to join us. It's nice to have family around."

Sam came out of Elizabeth's shadow then said "Too bad when others feel the need to insert themselves into what should be family. I was coming over anyhow but thanks to Monica's invited I should tell you now, I am about two months pregnant, congratulations, Jason is finally going to be a father."

"Sam, best wishes on the child." said Edward evenly then he asked Monica "Why didn't you tell me that Sam was going to be joining us at family time.?

"I had invited Jason." was all she said after making sure Elizabeth was okay. "Best wishes on the child, Sam. However Jason is already a father, just because you lose a child, doesn't mean you still don't love it, nor does another child replace the one you lost."

Sam sat down, feeling a bit off as Monica told them about a trip she had made to Wolcott the day before. "I meet someone, someone I am sure you will grow to love as much as I do."

Edward felt a twinge, he had always known this day would come, after all Monica was a lovely woman and Alan wouldn't want her to live the rest of her life alone. "Monica, stop teasing them."

Elizabeth grabbed the bottle of nitroglycerin pills and moved in as Monica checked her father in law's pulse when he went back in the chair. Sam stood there, unmoving as Alan Quartermaine entered the room. Tracy was torn between checking on her father and making sure that this wasn't a joke.

"Alan?" she asked.

"Tracy we are going to have a long talk about my will, aren't we?" he asked as the woman walked up and pinched him. "Hey, that hurt, what was that about?"

"You, you're not a ghost?" she asked then started sobbing as she threw herself into his arms. Meanwhile Monica and Elizabeth had gotten Edward settled. "My son? How?"

Sam was not happy when Edward's tight grip of Elizabeth hand had her setting next to the old man while Tracy and Alan had moved between her and the trio. Alan told his father everything, while Tracy just kept looking at her brother. When Cam came out with Mrs. Hardy she really gritted her teeth when the little boy went over and pushed his way in, squinting at the old man. "You, you went away."

"I did and I am sorry about that Cam but someone made me." said Alan as he hugged the little boy he had met when he was just a baby. "Do you remember me?"

"You gave me a train." he announced to him. "Where did you go? The teacher said you went to visit other doctors, but it doesn't take that long to visit them."

"I know and I truly promise to never do that again." he said hugging the little boy again then looking over at the little boy in Elizabeth's arms. "Is that Aidan?"

"Yes." she said then felt sick when Alan reached over to hold her little boy. Standing, she moved off, never seeing Monica following her nor noticing Sam's green face as the blond held Elizabeth while she cried.

"It will get easier, I promise. I have so many regrets, with Dawn, with AJ, with Emily and especially with Jason. All we can do is hold on to those we have, never forgetting those we lost."

"I hate that he didn't get to met Jake." she whispered.

"So does he, but that is neither of your faults. That is the fault of whoever did this to Alan and Luke Spencer. Yes, my son and you screwed up but the one thing I know, I know that Jason loved you, that he truly believes that he is doing the right thing. I get it, I see women like Carly, like Sam and I am so glad you aren't a part of that world, those trashy women, they are like a plague, like cockroaches that don't die."

"Yet, people like Jake do. Monica, am I just not meant to be happy." she said the tears hurting her chest.

"Yes and you know how I know that, because for once you owe Helene after all Lucky or Nik could have been Aidan's father." she said. Sam frowned wondering what Monica was talking about but not caring because all she wanted was them apart.

Going back, she reached down and placed Alan's hand on her stomach and said "Here, feel your grandchild, it is growing with in me."

"Are you sure?" asked Cam doubtfully looking at Sam. "Because you don't look all glowy like Mommy does when she is pregnant, like Ms Nancy did when she was. You look kind of well orange."

Elizabeth and Monica had returned in time to hear Cam's response and quickly gathered the boys saying that she had to get to the hospital. Once Elizabeth left, Sam started to whine about how Elizabeth was keeping Jason's child from getting the best medical care possible.

Alan thought about what he had been told and said "Sam, I was told that my father arranged for a doctor to take care of you."

"I want Kelly Lee." she said fuming. "I want to be treated at GH."

"Sam, you are getting the best care money can by and Mercy is a quite capable hospital." he said. He didn't like this woman and didn't like the way she was acting. Hopefully she would give birth and then would abandon the child. Maybe Jason would get his head out of his butt long enough to see what a hard woman she was.

Across town, Mac was getting confirmation that the man in the coffin was in fact Tom Baker. Contacting the hospital where Alan woke up, he was told that a man and a woman had brought him in. After such a long time, they had nothing left to identify who they were but then a nurse remembered. "Sir, I don't know how much help it will give you, but he had scars. Plastic surgery type scars."

Thanking her, Mac went back to the station where he saw his daughter talking to Dante Falconari. "Maxie are you looking for me?"

"Did you forget we were supposed to have breakfast?" she asked hugging him.

"Oh god, with Alan Quartermaine's return, then having to exhume the body in his coffin, I am sorry I did." he confessed.

"Wait, did you say Alan is alive?" she asked. "Mr. Dr Quartermaine?"

"Yes, they are telling the family this morning." he said. "Its a long story but he had amnesia and was living on Wolcott under a different name."

Maxie smiled then went to work, her mind on the news. "Is there an issue Ms. Jones?"

Turning to Kate she said "It's just someone I know came back from the dead."

"Oh, sorry were they on life support or in a coma?" she asked sitting on the corner of the desk.

"No, they had buried a body they thought was him. Alan Quartermaine supposedly had a heart attack when the hostages took over the Metrocourt. Turns out he was grabbed and replaced by some terrible man that I think I heard was a rapist."

"His family must be happy." she said. "How do you know him?"

"When I was little, after my heart transplant he was one of my doctors and my sister and I were candy stripers when he was chief of staff at GH."

Carly was still looking for Michael when she heard the news. Excited since that meant her ban from GH was over, she went to the hospital demanding to speak to him only to be escorted out. Stopping in to see her mother, she was asked . "Carly, what are you doing here?"

"Momma, did you hear about Alan Quartermaine." she asked.

"Yes, Monica called me this morning to give me the news. She told me the whole story. Seems like Alan had amnesia and was living under another name in Wolcott."

"I can't wait until he is back at GH, he isn't going to let those Webbers' treat Micheal's family that way." she said crowing. "Just think, that bitch Elizabeth will have to apologize to me. I am going to demand she do it in front of the whole staff."

"Carly, what are you talking about. Alan has no authority. Elizabeth's family is in charge and you need to face that you owe her for saving Joss' life. This attitude is unseemly."

"Why she isn't responsible for it, Jason is." she said with a shrug.

"Carly." Bobbie grabbed her arms and forced her daughter int a chair and said "Yes, Elizabeth is. Jason did nothing, he is not the one you owe. Elizabeth was Jake's mother, she is the one who saved your daughter. Lucky told me that he left it up to her. She is the one who agreed, Jason had nothing and I mean nothing to do with saving Joss."

"Of course he did." she insisted blithely ignoring her mother. Bobbie just watched her walk away and got why Elizabeth had done what she had. Calling Jasper Jacks, she said "Did you hear the news?"

"Yes and I filed for single custody this morning." he said grimly. "You should know, since I legally adopted Morgan, it is for both Joss and him."

"We need to talk. I for the first time talked to Carly about Joss' transplant, she is convinced it is all because of Jason." she said shaking her head.

"I know and I am going to be using that against her. Look, Bobbie, I am sorry but for the sake of those children... Carly can't be let to do what she is doing."

Bobbie hung up, agreeing with the man as she went to the diner, having to work a couple of hours to make up for the money going out before the meeting that afternoon with the lawyers.

John found the blue backed legal papers and read them. Finding he liked the idea, he made a call to Mr. Montgomery and explained what was going on. "Can you handle this for me?"

"Yes." he said then told him to come to his new office. Arriving John explained what had happened and how he had gotten involved. "I had forgotten all about it, actually."

"What about the Spencers, how did they forget about it?" he was asked.

"I don't know, but they tend to ignore things they don't like." said John.

Across town a woman was sending another message, then went to dress for the day. It was almost noon but since she was doing business primarily in the far east, her day wasn't like most peoples. Turning on the television, she was happy to see that most of the channels were covering the miraculous return of Alan Quartermaine, she decided to return her next nugget.

Sending out the message in the post, she quickly turned on her computer and sat down to look at the closing figures from Germany and the Czech Republic. Seeing her profits were up, she sent Sonny Corinthos a thank you note, one she was sure he wouldn't be too happy about.

Things were settling down from the return of Doctor Quartermaine, the Spencers had been shocked to be reminded that the Zacharas still owned half of the Haunted Star and that Lucky's share had only been worth 40,000. Now they were unhappy to learn that he had never signed the papers returning Laura's house to her and that it was being sold.

Jasper Jacks bought it, and for a few fleeting moments everyone had been convinced this was a good think until he had moved in and started to have renovations done. Carly hadn't cared but Lulu had come to the hotel and thrown the fit of all fits.

Siobhan had taken her citizenship papers and moved out of town, without leaving a forwarding address when it was clear she wouldn't even get a pension from the department after they had denied her claim. As she walked up the stairs, past the strippers, Lulu was crying as she knocked on Johnny's door.

"I need your help, please John." He let her in then after listening to her rage against Elizabeth who she claimed had money and should help her, then against the burn victim, he asked. "What about Carly?"

"She isn't getting alimony from Jax." she said. "I have asked Elizabeth again and again she keeps saying she isn't rich but I know that she got a huge settlement from what happened with the hospital."

"I thought they put that into the hospital?" he asked.

"So, we're her family, she should help us."

"What about your brother, Nik?"

"He said there is nothing he can do that Lucky shouldn't have done what he did." she said not admitting that he had also told her to walk away, let them have the boat but that she had refused to do that and he had refused to help if she didn't.

"He is right, you know and where is Lucky's wife in all of this?" he asked. "Or Sonny, I thought he was close to your family."

Sonny had said the same thing that Nik had about the Haunted Star but Lulu was too stubborn. When Lulu started in on Elizabeth being a rich whore and having done nothing to earn it but spread her legs for Jason Morgan, he realized she had no idea he was friendly with her.

"Well what about Dante, surely he received something from Sonny?" he asked.

Dante had refused to help. Lulu looked at Johnny regretting walking away because he had never had problems giving her money. Standing, she moved over to where he was sitting and sat on top of him. "Please Johnny, for me, for our history together."

When she reached down and took his hands to her breasts, he took a look in her eyes, if there had been the least bit of attraction there he would have helped her out, instead all he saw was calculated cunning and let her led him forward, her shirt came off, then she had her hands down his pants when he pulled them out.

"Sorry Lulu, not interested. Though I do have to say, thanks for reminding me why I am going to be celibate from at least a year. By the way, get to Dante before I do, because I promise he is going to hear about this."

When she didn't move, he shoved her off the top of him and she would have tumbled to the floor as he stood. "But-"

"I have heard you call Elizabeth Webber a whore, Lulu but let me tell you, a whore is a woman who would do what you just did." he said in disgust. "Get out of my office."

Leaving after making a copy of the security camera, John tracked Lulu down talking to Spinelli by the docks. He listened as the geek was wringing his hands telling her that unfortunately he couldn't help her. "I am sorry fair and lovely blond one, but I haven't been able to crash through the algorithms surrounding the dark prince's lair."

When the blond kept whining, John left, glad he had eavesdropped because it proved his security people were up to doing their jobs. Arriving at the station, he went to where the cop was sitting and said "We need to talk in private."

Dante could see the lipstick on the dark haired man's color, a shade he knew very well, he could also see that the man was not very happy. In the small ante room, he thought about it then said "What did she do?"

"How?" Seeing the lipstick being pointed out, he showed it to him on his phone then said "Here, a copy."

Dante took it, then waited until John had left before calling Lulu and asking if she was up to some lunch, telling her he was cooking one of her favorites. He could hear the indecision but she did show up at the loft. "I thought you were cooking for us?"

"I thought you were faithful. So we were both wrong." he said coldly. "What is truly the best part, you were going to fuck him for money, Lulu. I want your crap out of my place by the time I am done work tonight. I don't give a shit where you go, but you won't be staying here."

"Dante, please, I can explain, I promise I was desperate." she said crying as he pulled out one of her suitcases. "No, please, I love you."

"The funny thing is I believe you do, but I don't trust you and you are to be gone." he said leaving. Returning to the station, he went to see his boss who asked if he had gotten the sketch from the woman at County yet.

"I am sorry but I didn't." he replied. "I am on my way now."

Carly grimaced as Lulu poured out all of her troubles, distracting her from her plans to get Sonny into bed and hopefully marriage again. Hearing the man himself calling out, she got rid of the blond by promising to help her figure something out but clearly it was too late to distract Sonny as he came in and tossed the room.

Getting shown the photo of Jason she said "What is it?"

"Carly read what it says!"

Reading the date, then looking at the child in Jason's arms she swore then said "Is that who I think it is?"

"Yes, so now what do we do?" he asked while Carly was trying to puzzle something else out. Not liking where this was going, she had an idea and looking at Sonny decided she would go with her other plan. Taking the photo discreetly she went to see her ex-husband.

"Can we talk." she asked.

Jax was not happy but agreed. "I know you hate me but I have to tell you, the reason I have been acting the way I have, there is one a good one, one I think even you will approve of, it was for a good cause."

"What kind of good cause allows a women to abandon her child to do what you have been doing?" he asked.

"This one. Look at the date, Jax." she said urgently. "Jason, Jason knew his son was alive, we have been trying desperately to bring him back. For him, for Elizabeth."

Saying that stuck in her craw but Carly knew she was teetering on the brink and she didn't want to go back to being that poor working girl again. So what if it meant leaving town, clearly things weren't going to work out here after all.

Jason was lost to her, when he came back, she knew he would start looking into Jake's death and there was no chance he would forgive her, none. It was time to cut her losses and move on.

"How does that have anything to do with our daughter?" he asked. "Why hasn't anyone told Elizabeth?"

"Jason didn't want to get her hopes up." she said hiding her clenched teeth. "It's why the public show of Sam wanting to have a child. Its to protect Jake, but Jason has found him. Soon as he can he will bring him home and Elizabeth and he will be co parents."

Jax didn't believe a word she said, he had been told that Sam was pregnant and he also knew from a few others what she had done to Jason's son. He had no idea what was really going on but his new attorney after Alexis had betrayed him had said the woman in front of him had a good chance of winning custody in spite of everything she had done because of Alexis and Diane.

"Fine, but Carly I am done here in Port Charles. I am taking Morgan and Joss to Australia. If you want to be a mother to your children, you have to come with us, cutting ties to Sonny, to Jason."

"Fine." she said confirming his suspicions that Carly had done something big and that whatever it was, Jason was going to be after her. "Well except for Momma and Michael, maybe Lulu?"

"Ask Lulu if she wants to move with us, same with your mother. Michael is course your son, but there are stipulations, Carly. Ones you will sign and ones that if you break you walk away with nothing."

Positive she could get him to reconsider at a later date, Carly made a couple of calls. "Momma, Jax and I are reconciling, we are moving to Australia. He wants me to invite you along."

Bobbie had the feeling that Jax had found out something and knew that whatever it was it was big. "Sound like a great idea. I will talk to Lucas, see if he wants the brownstone, if not, I will put it up for sale, along with Kelly's."

Making the call, she was told that no, her son didn't want the house, nor the business. Lulu meanwhile was being turned away at the Quartermaine house just as Carly called. Rejecting the offer initially she changed her mind when Ethan came to see her,

"Lulu what the hell were you thinking?" he scolded. "I have an offer from an old mate in Melbourne, I am taking it, just accept that it is at an end, Lulu."

Sadly making the call, she went to all the places she had stuff then packed up what she wanted and left what she didn't. Calling Dante, she said Don't hang up but he quickly did just that. Arriving at the airport to see a cynical Michael waving goodbye, she was soon on her way to a new and exciting life.

John meanwhile was smirking as he walked through the lobby of the hotel. He had bought it from Jax and an unknowing Carly and couldn't wait until Corinthos showed up so he could have his arrogant rear tossed out.

"Sir, I have another package, uh, it was lost at the club." said the man in front of him. John swore then went to call Elizabeth only to be told she hadn't received anything. When he heard that Steven Webber was waiting for him in his office at the club, he said "You intercepted it from Elizabeth?"

"Yes, she had nightmares of her rape after the last one." he replied then admitted "I taped it together, there is another map."

Elizabeth had hung up the phone then looked around. "Robin, I need to run out for a while, are you okay with the boys?"

"We will be fine. I have Maxie here as well." she said only to see Elizabeth's frown. "I promise I won't let her make cool aid, but Elizabeth Cam is right, it doesn't taste sugary enough."

"I am trying to get him to drink the milk or the juice, to ween him off it, Robin."

"Okay, I am just saying..." she said smirking at her friend who just stuck her tongue out at the shorter woman.

"Where did Elizabeth go?" asked Maxie as she came in. She had been avoiding Elizabeth because she had come to a realization after a talk with Sam. Sam hadn't wanted Jason back out of love, she had done it for revenge. Now feeling guilty at her part in the past and in the way the nurse was miserable, she could only watch, wishing for a way to make changes.

Sonny was looking at the photos he had been sent there was something wrong with these ones, something off but he couldn't figure it out and after leaving in a hurry yesterday he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Carly. "Dad are you here?"

When Michael entered the room, Sonny got rid of the pictures and said "What is it?"

"I am a bit surprised at how well you are taking the news. I came over to check on you." he admitted wishing he hadn't come.

Sonny had a sinking feeling, oh god, what if Jason was dead. Then what was he going to do. "What are you talking about?"

"You haven't heart, Mom didn't... oh, damn, uh Mom and Jax reconciled they moved to Australia this morning." he offered up. The teenager was surprised to find he didn't have the least bit or sorrow about his family moving away, in fact there was a sense of relief. "With Joss and Morgan."

"No, that isn't possible." There was no way that Carly would abandon Jason, she would abandon Sonny before she would Jason.

"Yes, they left, Lulu and Grandma Bobbie went with them." he said "Jax sold the hotel, they gave the Spencer house to some charity."

"Damn, you have to be wrong." he said but getting the feeling he was right. "Wait, what about the ring I gave your mother?"

"Don't know." he shrugged then said "You seem to be taking this rather well. I have to go."

Michael went to the hotel, Johnny had ordered him to meet his head of security there. Being told he was to run a package to Buffalo that evening, he drove off in his car, glad to get away.

Steven was annoyed, John and he had tried to track down every all the leads but were getting no where. It seemed like they were going to have to have Elizabeth's help. "About time you face that."

Turning to the woman they both saw her anger then Steven said "I am trying to spare you pain, peanut."

"I know but dealing with Baker and my rape, it helped me in the long run." she said quietly. Her hand out she was given the clues. Wincing she said "We start at Kelly's again."

Moving through her past, she led them to her old studio. "I told the super he could let it so we can't go in."

"What about this next clue?" Being told to follow her, they were soon at the boxcars, then at the now empty brownstone. "So Bobbie really did leave with her daughter."

Seeing their clueless expressions, a sad Elizabeth told them about the call she got from Jasper Jacks about moving away. "I knew, I guess I didn't think about them calling you." said John awkwardly as he remembered her late son.

"Its fine, Jax is being the good parent, doing what is best for his children. I get that." she said with a gentle smile. "Okay, lets see, this one I am not sure on."

Suddenly she said "John you had the old garage out by the dam, right? Jason's old place?"

"Morgan had a garage?" he asked looking doubtfully at her.

"Long story but yeah." she said "It's where Lucky died or rather we thought he was dead."

Seeing the old crunched up car, she said "I have no idea whose car that is."

Checking the glove box, John said "AJ Quartermaine."

"Really?" she asked. Then looking at the car in horror, the trashed front end and the crumpled passenger side door she said "Someone is being really, really cruel. This is the car that created Jason Morgan."

"Are you sure?" asked Steven as his mind shifted through what he knew of the story.

"I think so unless AJ had an accident I didn't know about." she added. "Yet why is it here, this was before I moved to Port Charles."

"I don't know but we need to figure out this next clue." said John looking at the car and shuddering.

Sam meanwhile was happy as a clam minus having Jason there. She had visited Sonny yet again only to be told that Jason was working on something completely hush hush and that if it went the way they expected they and their family would be completely safe. "Sam he said he regrets that he keeps missing you but that he wants you to go ahead and work on the wedding plans. That you know what he likes."

Sonny felt inspired when she left happy as he tried to figure out what it was that Carly knew.

Sam on the other hand had gone to her mother's house where they with the wedding planner started to plan her dream wedding. Molly had returned home the day before, upset at having been kept away so long by her father while Alexis was angry about the tongue lashing she had received regarding Molly being around Jason Morgan.

As they made plans, she noticed that Sam didn't see as upset about Jason being gone and listening to what Sonny had told her daughter, Alexis was thinking they were getting out of the mob. Happy to know her grandchild would be safe, Alexis frowned as Helena came across her mind.

The evil witch had been sending her messages for days, strangely worded missives of doom and gloom. At first worried about the wedding, she relaxed, reminding herself that Helena had never taken on Jason or Sonny nor was she likely to now that Sam was carrying Jason's child.

Molly was at Kelly's with the nanny talking to Michael when Elizabeth overheard the annoying child telling her cousin how Jason was getting out of the mob to protect Sam's baby and how they were going to have a great big grand wedding.

Michael who barely recalled Elizabeth thought about her son and shushed the girl, feeling sorry for the nurse who had lost her son. Thinking on what his uncle had once told him, he got the girl out there, knowing that like his uncle, Elizabeth had to be mourning that little boy.

If only it had been Sam, he couldn't help thinking. His uncle loved Sam and he would've been there the entire time, there would have been no reason for him not to get to know his child.

Elizabeth's hands shook as she took Cam home. She had decided they had needed a Cam and Mommy day after spending the night before getting no place on the last clue. Now, when all it was doing was reminding her of the man who had lied to her, she went to take care of her youngest, her heart hurting at all their mistakes.

Getting the call from Monica she tried yet again to turn her down but instead found herself agreeing to come over for dinner. There, she found herself trying but she really wasn't in the mood to be around Jason's parents while they doted on Cam and Aidan.

Going out to the rose bushes, Elizabeth sat on the bench never hearing Tracy approaching. "Don't let them get to you."

Her head coming up, she said "I don't know what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean. I don't know what happened, it was none of my business and I am sure you did your share of messing up, but let me tell you, in the end, good always win and sweetie you couldn't be anything but good if you tried."

"I did, you know. I tried." she said remembering her past. Then the answer to the clue hit her. Gasping she looked inside then at Tracy "I need a favor, a big one. Can you tell Monica I had to run out, I need to do something really quickly."

"Go, this way Monica has an excuse to show the boys the room she made up for them."

"I hope I won't be gone that long." she said urgently. "Tracy for whatever it is worth, thank you."

"No, thank you, for returning Alan to us." she said walking away to pass on the request. Elizabeth called Steven then John and said "Meet at the docks, near Sonny's warehouses."

Leading them into the burnt out building nearby, she found the next clue. "The car threw me off but I finally figured it out. Right car, wrong accident. AJ hit Coleman's strip club it was what led to Courtney."

Inside, finding the names, she gave them to John. "We need to find out who these people are. Can you take pictures of them tomorrow, I have to work a shift at the hospital."

Nodding he did so, only to find he had to wait since Elizabeth was assisting in a surgery. "Anything?"

Showing them to Steven who didn't recognize anyone, they went their separate ways while at the Quartermaine house, Sam was let in as Audrey was leaving with her grandsons who were calling out their goodbyes to Alan.

Hiding her discontent, she offered up the wedding invitations only to be asked where Jason was. "He uh, he was in town only for a couple of hours, he is working on something for us. A way out."

Well aware that that wasn't much of a possibility, Alan waited until she left then called his wife. "When was the last time you actually laid eyes on our son?"

Getting the answer, he made a few calls and didn't like what he was hearing. Jason hadn't been seen in person for over two months.

Elizabeth meanwhile had showered and was sitting in her car to drive home when there was a knock on the windows. "Here, the pictures."

Taking a look, she saw one that at first she thought was Michael then got a better look. "Can you do a close up on this guy."

"I know, I saw the same resemblance but it isn't him. He is the son of a woman who used to work at the club." he answered. "I checked, he attended primary school there and just graduated high school."

"What is his mother's name?" she asked.

"Daisy, Daisy Autumn." he said "I can see why she became a stripper with a name like that."

"We need to take a drive." she said telling him to get in. On the way out she said "Daisy was the name Courtney used when she stripped. The woman doesn't look like her but I want to see her, face to face."

Arriving at the small neat one story home just as the blond boy was mowing the lawn, she watched as the woman came out with a glass of something cold for the boy. "That's not Courtney but that boy looks like AJ did as a teenager."

"Lets talk to her." he said getting out of her car. "Hi, can we talk to you for a moment."

The other woman looked at the very beautiful and unforgettable brunette and gulped. "Alan, could you please run inside and bring me out that metal box you find so interesting."

When he was gone, she said "I knew someday this would happen. Are you going to call the police."

"Why don't you tell me why you think we should?" asked Elizabeth gently.

"Can we go inside, I uh, I have to tell my son too." she said. Seated in the small but neat living room she said "A few years ago, I was a student at the beauty college in Port Charles. I didn't have a lot of money but I was able to survive. One day, there was this man with this boy. He was arguing with him. The little boy was shouting how he wasn't his dad. I didn't know what was going on but then the little boy got hurt. I tried to call the police but no one believed me."

Swallowing her tears, she said "Down in the ER there was another little boy, he didn't have any memories and saw the nurses talking about the resemblance between the two. I uh, they were distracted and I was intending to switch them. But then a couple came in, claimed the first boy, I saw how lost and confused the little boy was."

"Mom?" asked the young man.

"I brought you home, my parents were thrilled to have a grandson. I just got an old friend to create some papers and I became your mother." she said softly. "Later on, I heard the little boy in the hospital was Sonny Corinthos son and I just was happy to have escaped the danger I never looked back."

"Then one day, there was an article about the little boy, I had forgotten you know, it was easy to do, you are such a good son, Alan. Anyhow, I saw the boy had grown up and it bothered me because they had a picture of his biological father next to him at the same age. Too me it was clear that without meaning to, somehow I had ended up with the real Michael Corinthos."

"Mom, you are wrong." he said "I have seen that kid, I am nothing like those people."

"Did you look into it?" asked John while Elizabeth was in part revolted at her taking someone else's child but then seeing the boy in front of her she could understand the why.

"Yes, I went back to the other town. That is why I wanted this." she said showing them the article. "This is the man they believed died, the man they buried under the name AJ Quartermaine, then when I heard he was alive not much later, I never stopped to think about the rest of it."

"So what you are saying is my father stole this man's body and made him him." asked the boy.

"Yes, but he was on the run from the mob, Alan." she said. "I think I met him, I think he is the man who helped me get the papers for you. When I heard his father's name, that it was Alan, I was sure but I had already had you for a couple of years, you had become mine. I hadn't planned on kidnapping anyone but I heard the nurses say that the little boy in the ER had no one, I had no idea none."

"What about the real father?" asked Elizabeth. "Or his mother?"

"They were dead. The mother had drunk herself to death and the father, if he was the man buried was a real lowlife, he was a drug dealer." she said as if to excuse herself. "Alan, you have to go with these people."

"Mom, you're sick, I am not leaving you." he said glaring a the couple.

Elizabeth had noticed the thinness, the pallor but she asked "What is wrong, I am a nurse. We can get you help." 

"I have AIDS, its been full blown for almost a year. They don't give me too much longer. Alan is going to have no one." she said. "I wrote a letter, I wanted him to have when I had died."

"Daisy, how did you end up with that name?" she asked gently.

"There was girl there, she took what was my real name, I asked her not to but she refused." she said. "What is going to happen now?"

"I would suggest we drive to Port Charles. Deal with this there. The police commissioner is very understanding. He will be compassionate in regards to your case." Elizabeth said. "I have someone I want to have work with you. John can you call Mr. Montgomery, have him met us at the station."

Daisy sent her son to get a bag of clothes then told Elizabeth she kept a bag at ready in the closet. "What about your meds?"

"I can't afford them. I decided that when they told me I had so little time left to not waste the money, so that Alan would have something from me." she said as she watched John take the tin box while Alan helped her to the car. "What about my house?"

John saw the scared look in Alan's eyes then was reminded of the boy in Port Charles living as Michael Corinthos and knew this was going to hurt a whole lot of people.

Elizabeth went into the station and saw Dante in the station; nodding she asked to speak to Mac. "He is expecting me."

"Elizabeth, you asked me for some time." Mac said as he came in. Asking him to follow her, she said as they walked out the door.

"There is a woman I need you to listen to, she has an attorney." she warned then led him to where John was waiting with Daisy, seeing her looking around, the mobster said that he had sent the boy to the park.

Mac saw the fragile skin then saw Robin arriving and got that the woman was sick, more than likely with AIDS. As she explained all that had happened, without mentioning names, he couldn't help feeling angry on behalf of the parents that had had the wrong son until he was given the names.

"Michael, Michael wasn't the boy Carly took home from the hospital?"

"Yes." said Elizabeth. "From the sounds of it, the nurses paired the wrong boy with the wrong family. No one knew except Daisy who only learned about it a few years ago."

"We have to tell Sonny." said Mac almost feeling sorry for the boy who had silently joined them. "Daisy, I have no place to lock you up in, I am going to see if we can have you admitted into GH with guards and get you some medical help."

"No, no medical help. I can feel my body failing. I look on this as providence." she said reaching out for her son's hand. "One thing, I researched his family. Can you make sure that the Quartermaines are told about their grandson."

Mac promised the woman then went to find the DA. Explaining the situation he saw the man frown then say "How could the Corinthos family not know they took home the wrong boy, I get he had amnesia but Mac, you have two daughters, right. Would you make that kind of mistake?"

"No and I get what you are saying. I called Corinthos attorney, she is meeting me at his place." he said already having a headache as he drove out there. "Diane, Alexis, thank you for meeting with me."

Once they were inside and Mac had assured them this wasn't about Sonny being arrested or questioned he went on to tell them what was going on. "Mac, there is no way you are right. I think that Carly or he would have noticed bringing home the wrong son."

"Alexis, I have met the boy, we are ordering blood tests, but there is no doubt in my mind. I knew AJ when he was that age, this boy, he looks just like his father."

"I AM Michael's father." sneered Sonny. "I don't know who this kid is, I don't care. More than likely he is another one of AJ's bastards."

Mac held up his hands as if to say he was done. Looking at Sonny he said "I will let you know the results but right now, I have to see Monica and Alan."

"Don't bother, I know my son." said the Cuban as he walked away clearly dismissing Mac and his information. The commissioner told Diane and Alexis the rest of the story then said "I need Michael to come in for a DNA test. Here is the paperwork on it."

When he heard, Sonny started to shout again, but Diane just said he would be there while Alexis went to deal with the angry man. Since Brenda had left him to raise her son without the mob influence, Sonny had been quick to temper and harder than usual to deal with.

Diane went to see Jason and only finding Sam told her to have the man call her. "It's about Michael and the possibility he isn't his nephew."

"What?" she asked demanding more information.

"I can't tell you Sam." she said a bit annoyed knowing the moment she left that the woman would call Alexis who wouldn't keep her mouth shut.

Elizabeth meanwhile had stayed with Alan as he got his sample taken then offered to get him something to eat. "Can it be away from the hospital. I can't deal with them, at least for now?"

"I know of a place." she said with a smile then asked if he would like to meet her sons. Picking up Cam and Aidan she introduced him as Alan before driving to Kelly's. Spinelli saw the Maternal One with the boys and Michael and made a point to try and head over to pull the teenager away aghast he would be with that woman.

"M—oh, I am sorry." he said leaving quickly. At the window, he looked back in then scurried home to tell the Goddess about the boy who looked a lot like Michael. Arriving at the penthouse, surprised it was empty since Sam had hung around waiting for Jason to call he quickly tried her cell phone only to get voice mail.

Back at Kelly's, Elizabeth was pleased when they were finished because Mac had called and asked her to bring Alan over to the Quartermaine house. Robin meanwhile had put a rush on the tests, even as she agreed with Daisy's original diagnosis. "Steven, she has maybe a couple of weeks at most."

"We will just make her as comfortable as possible then." he said feeling sad for the woman whose life was about to end. "I can't help feeling like she meant no harm but then if it were my nephews... I don't think I would be reacting like that."

"I get it." she said soberly as she left the hospital to head home to her family.

Steven meanwhile was keeping an eye on the lab and when the technician called to tell him he had the results, the chief of staff drove to the Quartermaine mansion. "We did a rush."

Alan who was entering with Elizabeth, said "So, am I this kid?"

"Yes, you are the boy born to Caroline Spencer and Alan Quartermaine Jr." he was told. Seeing the older couple with tears in their eyes, but no one any younger. He asked "My biological parents where are they?"

"AJ died, several years ago." said Monica. "Mac has anyone talked to Carly."

"I called and Jax and I told her what we found. She doesn't believe us. I have a meeting with Diane and the boy who ended up with Sonny and her. I have to tell him what is going on." Mac couldn't believe Sonny nor Carly were willing to accept that they might have made a mistake. Both were in denial.

Alan sat down, next to Elizabeth while his grandfather went to make a call to Jason. Getting voice mail then the geek when he called the penthouse he went back in and asked Elizabeth for a moment. "I haven't been able to reach Jason. No one has actually talked to him face to face in almost 10 weeks."

"I am sorry, Alan but my life has had no connection to Jason in a very long time." she said softly.

Mac and Diane sat down the boy known as Michael Corinthos, expecting him to flip out at learning the truth, they were shocked when instead he said that it made sense. "I have never felt like I belonged with them, ever. What happened to my real family?"

Being told the story, he said "So I am alone, I have no family?"

"You still have us." said Monica. "We still consider you a member of our family along with the boy who Carly gave birth to."

"I barely know you." he said then asked Mac to talk to Dante. The detective came inside, he had been getting looks that made no sense all evening but hearing what they were saying he said "I still consider you my brother. No matter what."

"I need to get away, find the peace to think this through." he said then asking Mac what his real name was.

"David, David Henderson." he told him. Michael saw the calls from Carly, from Sonny and just walked away from the station. Sitting in the park, he saw his boss. "Are you going to fire me now that I am no longer of use against my father or whoever he is?"

"No, you have done your job well. What are your plans?" asked John as he talked to Michael. Max who had come looking for the kid on behalf of his father walked up and said Sonny wants to talk to you.

"I don't care." he said then added. "Max, I am not his son. He can't give me orders any longer."

"Look, come talk to him. You don't that they are telling you the truth." When Michael handed him a picture then said it was his real father, Max got that it was true and that now things were going to be even hairier since Jason wasn't there.

Across town, Sam listened to what Alexis was telling Kristina and Molly then said "So Michael wasn't Michael?"

"No, Diane called the results are in. Who knows what happens now. Jason will more than likely be here soon, I am sure that Sonny already called him." she said as she urged her children to go to bed. When they were in bed, Sam was reminded that she was going to ask Alexis to go with her to her first ultrasound and went to her mothers room in time to hear Alexis talking to someone.

"Nik, I am worried. Helena was here again today."

"No, she just made more comments about my life not being what I think." she told her nephew on the phone.

"Well first Alan comes back from the dead, then there is this two Micheal's situations and I know Jason, there is no way he wouldn't be here. I think that something is wrong, no, I haven't told Sam, her pregnancy is high risk."

Sam hurried back to bed, her mind telling her that Alexis was wrong and that there was nothing wrong, that Jason would be home soon.

Alan had spent the night in the large mansion and when he went downstairs that morning quickly called Elizabeth only to be told she was working at the hospital. Not wanting to bother anyone, he made himself something to eat then went to find a bus to the hospital.

Seeing one that said hospital he quickly caught it, watching for it while trying to figure out what came next. "Kid, this is the last stop."

"I thought you went to General Hospital?" he asked the driver.

"At the other end of the run. We have a twenty minute stop here. This is Mercy hospital. Look, there are vending machines right inside if you want to get something to drink while we wait."

At Mercy Sam saw Sonny approaching and asked "When is Jason coming home, have you called him about this second Michael?"

"No and there is no reason to. Scorpio is wrong." he snapped as he went to get his lithium prescription filled cursing the Webber family as he was stared at. On his way out, he bumped into a blond who said "Sorry sir."

The voice startled him so much that Sonny grabbed the kids arm. "Who are you?"

"Alan Autumn." he said then removed his arm from the man's, "Now if you will excuse me."

Walking away, he never saw the eyes starring at him before Sonny took out his phone and barked some orders at someone then walked to his waiting limo.

Alexis showed up a bit frazzled but excited as Sam was changing into the gown. "Ms McCall, I am Doctor Muni. Shall we begin."

Sam babbled on as the man took her blood pressure, then assured her it was perfectly even, hiding that he was worried because it should have been a little higher, then her weight which had gone up a bit. "Two more pound, you are doing great."

However when he tried to locate the baby's heartbeat he got nothing. Frowning a bit, he tried again. "Shall we do the ultrasound now."

Having Alexis stand next to Sam in case he was right, the doctor held his breath hoping the baby wasn't still born as he drew blood and gave it to the nurse with a handwritten note. When the screen didn't' work, he said it will be just a moment, I am having them bring in the other machine so we can get a full picture of what is going on inside.

Alexis saw the man's uneasiness and moved down hoping to catch a glimpse of her grandchild, but seeing nothing relaxed, thinking the machine was broken. Dr Muni soon had the second machine on and frowned yet again before calling the nurse. "Sir, the tests came back positive, she is pregnant."

"Oh dear." he said then hanging up looked at the patient, he hated telling someone that wanted a baby they weren't pregnant but this news was going to be even worse. "Ms Davis, I have to arrange for a different machine again."

While Sam bitched about the equipment, Alexis followed the doctor into the hallway. "What is it?"

"Are you close to your daughter, ma'am." he asked.

"Oh course." she said. "What is wrong doctor."

"There is no easy way to say this and under normal circumstances I wouldn't but I think you daughter needs some help. There is no baby. I noticed elevated signals in her glands, she tests positive but there is no baby on any of the ultrasound machines."

"Are you saying that Sam is having a hysterical pregnancy." she asked leaning against the wall.

"Yes, it is rare but it does happen. When someone suffers a loss in childbirth like your daughter has, then there were her other medical issues. I would have never recommended she receive the surgery like she did. Your daughter had problems getting pregnant long before she was shot. The surgery only repaired that damage it did nothing to help her faulty eggs."

Alexis heard Sam shouting when the doctor had went in to tell her what was going on. Damning Morgan for not being here, Alexis reluctantly went back into the room where Sam was shouting at the doctor he was lying. "I felt my baby moving, you are wrong, you are lying to me."

"Ms. McCall is is too early for you to have felt that even if you had been pregnant. I am going to recommend a councilor for you." Back in his office, the man called Edward Quartermaine who was paying his bills to give him the bad news. "I am sorry, I know you were looking forward to more great grandchildren."

Hanging up, Edward only felt a sad sense of relief then found himself praying Jason woke up to who Sam was before really getting her pregnant.

It was midday when she again woke up, checking on the markets, she poured herself a glass of milk as she took pleasure in once more causing pain to the Cassadine family as she unraveled the various plots her late lover had put in place. Up next was freeing someone else's captives.

Having the notes printed she put them in the mail as she took pleasure in hearing about Sonny Corinthos meltdown regarding his son. Wait until he found out whose grandchild he had been really raising all this time.

When the mobster found out he had been raising his late stepfather's grandson, that David aka Michael was really a blood relative of Deke's she was certain he would finally go over the bed.

Johnny was not happy when he opened his mail a couple of days later, calling the Webbers, he heard the same tone in their voice as was in his. "What else could we have to find."

Elizabeth could only agree as she watched Alan spending the very little time Daisy had left with her. Carly had called Mac screaming that someone had altered the DNA tests claiming she knew she had raised her own flesh and blood. Alan had heard about and had made it clear he didn't want to meet her. He had wanted to met Michael though.

There had been a strangely friendly and accepting meeting between the two and Michael had told them all about not feeling right all this time. When he had heard Alan was going to college in the fall, he had offered the other boy his trust fund only to have it rejected as Alan said that he deserved it for ending up with Carly and Sonny.

Edward had told both boys that he would take care of their schooling. With a sideways glance at his son he said no matter what you study. There had been a bit of a shock for the family when Alan explained about wanting to study medicine to help people like the woman who had raised him.

"You can call her mom you know, they won't be upset." said Michael. That had broken the ice and the two were talking about getting together for lunch that week and maybe a movie afterwords.

At the Metrocourt happy not have to go to the strip club, Elizabeth entered the office and said "Nice place, a step up from your last office."

"I am keeping the club Elizabeth." said Johnny to her disgust. "Like I said, I protect those women. If I sold out they would lose that safe place."

When Steven arrived they sat down and opened the by familiar small squares. Frowning a bit, John said "I have no clue."

"I do." said Steven. "This is the hospital."

Following the clues, they were angry to be reading Jake's medical records, followed by Joss Jacks. "Steven am I reading this right?"

"You are, there is no way Jake's kidney would have worked for her." he said grimly.

"What are you saying?" asked John as they explained the medical terms. "Wait so the little boy that died, he couldn't have been your son? Who would screw with you that way?"

"I don't know but I know where to start." she said looking at John. "Spinelli. The records had to be altered at some point."

Grabbing the geek, they were debating where to take them when Elizabeth said "I know of a place."

Arriving at the safe house, she watched as her brother gave the geek sodium pentathol then was surprised to find out he had had nothing to do with Jake's death but they learned a whole lot of other stuff that had Elizabeth feeling a but foolish.

The geek had been manipulating her before Jason and she had broken up, working on her fears, not at anyone's orders but because he had been jealous of her place in Jason's life, of her sons place in Jason's life. She realized that the only reason he didn't resent Sam was because she used him to be near Jason, that Spinelli accepted the skank because she didn't mind his hanging around..

"What do we do with him?" asked John, he had been expecting him to be guilty now they couldn't kill him.

"What about a 72 hour mental health hold at Shadybrook? I can make him forget he was ever here and we can get his computer to whomever does your data searches." said Steven while watching his sister walking around the small home, looking like she was in pain.

Late that night, Elizabeth had created a list of all the people in Port Charles who hated her and had the knowledge to alter hospital medical records. Aghast at how long it was, she called Robin and asked her to come over. "Robin, I need a favor. Please, read these files and tell me what you notice."

Worried about her friend as she saw they were Joss Jacks and her own son's medical records, she soon gasped as she what Elizabeth had. "Elizabeth, wait are you sure on the blood type?"

"Oh course, I know my son's blood type." she affirmed.

"I personally ordered more blood while we were operating, Elizabeth. If we didn't operate on Jake, where is he and who did we tell you was brain dead?" she asked ready to call her Uncle.

"Robin stop, wait." she said then explained what was going on. "So anyhow, I am afraid if we tell your Uncle, they will stop sending the clues and I think my son is alive."

"Okay, I get that." she said quietly. "Elizabeth who are your suspects?"

Reading them she asked "Why is Sam not on the list?"

"Because she doesn't have the skill to alter the records without Spinelli and we are sure he wasn't involved."

"Okay, let's see, take Maxie off, she and I have been having some long talks. While she helped Spinelli manipulate you and spent time with Sam, egging on her chasing Jason, she didn't do any thing else. In truth, she feels guilty about helping Sam. She told me she thought Sam loved Jason, that you didn't because of how you were seeing him in secret when there was no reason to hide. Now she is learning the truth and regrets her part in this mess."

"Okay, scratch Maxie." she said then added "I doubt it was Lulu either. I just added her because she was so angry about Nik and Lucky."

"It wasn't Lucky, the way I see it, when Jake died, he lost his way to torment Jason and you. He also seemed genuinely broken up. I hate to say it but Nik is a viable suspect." mused Robin. "Lisa, no, she disliked you because of me, but one thing, she never harmed Emma. I doubt she would harm Jake."

"Carly, I want to say she wouldn't do it, but..." Elizabeth's voice trailed off because both women were well aware of the blond's obsessive love for Jason. "It also might explain why she acted like my child dying was no loss."

"True but it could be Carly just being the usual selfish bitch she normally is." admitted Robin.

Seeing the names Franco, Helena and mob, Robin said "I thought I heard Jax mentioning Carly getting a call from Franco, that one is a possibility and we know Helena is capable of anything. Have you talked to Jason about this?"

"He isn't around, he is someplace working on getting out of the mob for Sam and her baby." she said bitterly angry with the blond man.

"What?" asked Robin who thought back then said "That doesn't make sense. Remember I was there as a kid when Duke wanted out then was dating Jason when he left for Michael and things have changed. Back then, it was only possible because he had been in for such a short time. That option is gone too much has happened. Now he could get out if Sonny promised to protect him, but I don't think Jason would trust that and it wouldn't involve traveling."

Elizabeth took her emotions out of the equation then said "You're right, there is something wrong there. Do you think something happened to Jason and Sonny is covering it up?"

"Yes, because the idea of getting out, it doesn't make sense." she said grimly. "With Carly leaving, I hate to say it but Sam pregnant and the mess with Michael, that Jason isn't here after being up their butts for the last couple of years I think there is something wrong. There has been for a few years."

Seeing Elizabeth's skepticism, she said "Jason has always been overly concerned but since the hospital fire, he has gone overboard, actually since... wait, since Jake's kidnapping actually."

"I need you to listen to something but not to ask how I got it." said Elizabeth then hit play on Spinelli's confession. Robin listened then blinking said "Since when does Jason need that much help to do his job?"

"I agree." she said. "I think something happened to him, during the time the Russians were in town."

Across town, Johnny was getting ready for bed when he had a though. Calling Steven Webber he said "I have to be out of town for a few days, I will be back on Friday."

Changing quickly, he made the quick trip up to Boston and then another to New York before finally heading to Chicago. Returning home he called on the five families who were not too happy with what he was suggesting.

Returning to his place, his phone rang and answering it, he was a bit surprised at their answer. "We think you are right."

Steven and Elizabeth joined John who said he had had to deal with business not wanting to tell them all he had learned. He wanted them to have plausible deniability.

Elizabeth just went over her list, they had all done so but she was no further than she had been. Feeling frustrated she did tell them the news. "Monica told me. Sam's pregnancy isn't real."

"She faked being pregnant?" asked John grimacing as he recalled his sister trying a similar trick with Sonny.

"No, she truly believed she was, it is called a hysterical pregnancy, you make your body think you are. Its rare but it happens." said Elizabeth. "Alexis was at the police station when I took Alan down, she was less than friendly."

To say the least, the emotional wreck of a woman had screamed at Elizabeth, asking if she was pleased with herself, saying that because of her, Sam had believed she was pregnant. She had only calmed down when Mac had threatened to arrest her.

Diane had come over to apologize but Elizabeth had told her not to bother, that she was still a mouthpiece for those people after everything they had done. Then she had asked how the woman could live with herself knowing what Sam had done to her son, then detailed it all right in the middle of the police station.

When Alexis had threatened to sue her for defamation of character, Elizabeth had simply said "Ask Spinelli, ask Jason, hell ask Sam herself. I am sure she will tell you all about her Moment of weakness and how my innocent son had to pay for his father's mistakes."

Mac had asked why she had kept quiet and Elizabeth had bitterly told him how she had only learned afterwords and that she was sure Damien Spinelli had erased all records that proved it by now with the permission of Jason.

When Alexis had claimed she was simply bitter about losing Jason, she had smiled and said "Alexis, we both know you aren't that big of a fool. Cover for her, she is your daughter, but someday, someday the truth will come out, like it did about her sleeping with Ric while her sisters were sleeping in their bedrooms several feet away while you had cancer."

Turning ashen, Alexis walked away while Diane had a more thoughtful expression on her face as she left the station to go and inform Sonny that yes, she had seen the proof and that this Alan was really Michael.

"Then I want the money I gave to the boy here in town as Michael." he said.

"Sonny he got his trust fund at eighteen. You can go to court and claim fraud but you will look like a fool because he lived with you for almost twelve years. With every thing that happened to him, you could end up owing him money." she added to try and get him to see reason.

"Fine, it's only money. That other boy, my real son, I want him here, not at the Quartermaines." he ordered. "When can I arrange that."

"Sonny he wants nothing to do with you and since he is eighteen he is well within his rights. You can't force him to do anything. Your best hope is that when Carly returns he is willing to talk to her or to Jason. As for the mother, she is dying so the police aren't going to press charges."

"I want that women in jail." he yelled.

"Too bad. Sonny she is dying of aids, they have a police officer posted outside her door and she is going no where." she said more than a little annoyed with him.

"Fine, I will deal with it." he said.

"As your attorney I should remind you that you aren't allowed at GH and if something were to happen to her you would be the first suspect." she said.

Mac meanwhile was having a little chuckle at the news that former FBI agent Raynor was under arrest himself for making illegal deals with mobsters to let them keep their ill gotten loot and territory in exchange for taking down their rivals.

"Sir, Carly Jacks is on line three." said his sergeant.

Counting to ten then telling her he couldn't force Alan away from the Quartermaines and that the boy rather the young man had the right to refuse to visit her, he finally just hung up, annoyed with her. Once again noticing the absence of Jason Morgan, he made yet another round of calls only to be told that he hadn't been heard from nor was he anywhere on the grid.

Calling for Dante, he had his detective and his partner go deal with the reports of a break out at Shadybrook then headed over to see his daughter. Maxie had wanted to show him something.

Dante listened to the doctor then said "So the patient isn't a threat to anyone or himself?"

"No, no nothing like that. It's more he is in danger from others. We had another delusional patient brought in from a local doctor and that young man tormented the man. Mr. Frons is only a danger to himself because he will head straight to the nearest strip club and shall we say attempt to fondle the merchandise without paying."

Dante made a few rounds, needing a shower afterwords but they soon had the man looked back up. After an hour long drive back to Shadybrook while the man with the loopy grin kept saying I like boobies he had filed the report and went to get something to eat.

Domestco had gone home, mimicking the patient until the other detective was hearing it in his head as he walked into Kelly's. "I like boobies." Suddenly it hit him that yeah, the crazy man was a bit nuts, he said it again, then again, finally bursting into laughter.

The new owner looked at the handsome man laughing hysterically and was debating calling the police when she saw the young waitress she had just hired go over and then pinch the man saying "Dante what on earth is wrong with you?"

Looking at his sister who didn't seem to find him funny, he got control and said "Nothing, just something this man I arrested was saying."

"I like boobies? Did you arrest him for sexual assault?" she asked glaring at him.

"No, nothing like that. He is a patient out at the mental hospital, old you know... anyhow, he kept repeating that the whole drive back. Then Ronnie started repeating it and... well..." Trailing off as he got that a woman might not find it as funny, he just said lamely "I am here for dinner, join me."

"No, I am working here for the summer. I started today." she said with a smile. "What can I get you to drink?"

Giving Kristina his order, he called to check on Michael who was keeping the name and then called to see how Alan was doing only to be told he was at the hospital with his mom. "Thanks, just tell him I will call back later."

Elizabeth and Robin had gone over the file again and again, getting no place. Audrey, Steven and John had as well. Tossing it away, the nurse said "None of the other riddles have led to dead ends. Maybe we should look at the Joss file."

"I have, there is nothing there." said a tired Steven. "Let's look at the clues again."

"Okay, the first one led us to the hospital." said Elizabeth setting down the crumpled map.

"Okay, we all agree that was to send you to GH." said John as he looked over it.

"Hold it, Elizabeth this is a drawing of the GH before the fire." said Robin. "Do you think that is significant?"

"I don't know." she said frowning as she looked at it. Then she saw the ex and said "Wait, the store room, that used to be where the old chapel is."

"So?" asked John not getting it. "What is the meaning of the chapel."

"Let's see, Robin got married there, no, I got it." she said grimly recalling her own past in the chapel. Recalling the next clue she thought about it then said "The room, the hospital room, it's not on the fifth floor, it's one where I was in after giving birth to Jake."

"This is the room where Jason was after Diego kidnapped me." she said getting excited then frowning as it seemed to led to a dead end. "I have no idea about this room. It's near the morgue."

Sam was sobbing when Spinelli let himself into the penthouse. "Where have you been?"

"I got drunk I guess and the police found me and took me to Shadybrook." he said his head hurting as he walked up the stairs, needing to find peace and quiet after spending all that time locked away. He needed to find his lap top and his memories as he got a bad feeling about things.

Two days later, Mac Scorpio was sitting in his office when he got the call. Making the drive he asked the agent in charge what was going on. Hearing the answer, he grimaced and said "When?"

"Now." Taking the offered bullet proof jacket, he put it on then rode with the agents to Sonny's house. Within minutes, the guards, Sonny, and Max were all under arrest. "Where is Morgan, Corinthos?"

"I want my attorney." he said smugly when he saw that Raynor wasn't there. As soon as the man showed up, things would be fine and for now he just had to play it cool.

Sam heard a knock on the door and was about to stand when she heard them announce themselves and come in. "Sam McCall you are under arrest for racketeering, RICO violations and drug charges."

They had Spinelli in cuffs, informing the geek he was under arrest for violations of the Patriot Act and hacking while they tore the penthouse apart. Finding the safe, they took the files, then the guns while Sam could only shriek she wanted her mother.

Diane was in the office when Alexis entered. Things had been cool between them every since the day at the station with Elizabeth Webber. "Ms Miller, you need to turn on the television." said her assistant.

Seeing the toothy brunette anchor announcing she was at the PCPD then seeing her clients doing a perp walk, followed by Sam and Spinelli, she could only groan while the woman announced there was an arrest warrant out for Jason Morgan.

Diane and Alexis didn't say a word as they hurried down to the station and were soon demanding to see their clients. Mac said "In my office first."

The Special Agent in Charge introduced himself then spread out the case against their clients. Alexis was sick to find that Sam was in the middle of things while she was not at all surprised to hear that they had the geek on hacker charges.

Diane took Sonny while Alexis went in to speak to Sam. "Sonny, you should know, your deal with Raynor, turns out it was never authorized, I told you not to trust him."

"That is entrapment, they can't use any of that against me." he was complaining.

"Yes, they can." she said wearily. "Sonny, there is no avoiding jail this time. Jason is facing the same charges. You have no place to go."

"Do something." he demanded.

"There is nothing I can do but work on getting you the best possible plea bargain." she announced.

In the other airless room, Sam was standing at the table, tears falling as she said "You have to help me."

"Sam, I am afraid there is nothing I can do. The Agent said you have two choices. Life imprisonment or the possibility of parole if you give up Jason's location." said Alexis. "You should know, Spinelli had everything on his computer and they have it. Between what Sonny was doing with Raynor and the computer you are all facing long life sentences."

"B-but I don't know where Jason is. Only Sonny does." she said as she looked at Alexis and got that this was not good. "What am I going to do?"

"I don't know." she said. "Let me see what I can work out. Maybe in exchange for your testimony."

The woman in the penthouse laughed as she saw the news. "Well one last little clue."

Packing up her personal items, she quickly checked out of the suite, then walking past one of her chess pieces, she smiled, then walked to where her soon transported her to where she was holding her old lovers' pawns.

"Helena." she said. "How nice to see you grandmother."

"You are no relation to me." she spat out only to be shot in the head.

"True, but you know, you turned my mother into as big a bitch as you are."

"Mr. Franco, you should know, I have decided to will your fortune to endow a park. Your father would be proud, we know how much he enjoyed parks." she said with a laugh as she then said "Or should I call you Mr. Frank Baker."

A bullet soon ended his pain while she moved on. "Hello crAZy. It won't work by the way, eventually he will find her."

"Killing me won't stop what I set in motion." he said laughing like the nut job he was.

"No, your son had no choice but to step in and run the business but there are ways of fixing that and hey with the FBI crawling all over PC that might already be happening." she said then fired the hollow point bullet into his heart.

At the last cell, she saw Jason Morgan and said "You, Mr. 'Morgan' are free to go. Oh, you should know that while I had you here, I ended the life or lives of your prisoners. I am sure they are in a much better place."

"Who are you?" he spat out as he tried to figure out what the hell she was talking about.

"Oh, someone who fell in love with the wrong man. Now, I am leaving you have fifteen minutes to get out of this cell before the entire block explodes."

The blond scrambled out, then stole a car to head back to Port Charles. Arriving at the city limits, he dumped the car and found a pay phone to call for a car. Seeing headlights coming his way, he sat back against the bench while thinking about a hot shower, checking on Michael and finding Sam because it had been too long since he had had sex.

"Jason Morgan you are under arrest..." Handcuffed and in the back seat of the police car, he was unable to process what they were telling him. He couldn't even tell anyone the truth because then he would have additional charges against him.

Hoping against hope that Diane Miller was as good as she said, he was disappointed to learn that it wouldn't matter. They had them, on everything. Not at all surprised to learn that Sam had turned State's evidence, he just looked back on the past few years and gave an ironic laugh as he figured out that even in winning against his brother he had lost...

**November 2008**

_The blond who had allied himself with Helena Cassadine was sitting in the back room beyond thrilled as he stared at Jason Morgan's son. "I will soon be raising you, you will call me daddy then when we return to Port Charles, it will destroy him."_

"_We need you to go the police station, see where Sasha is." said the man who entered just as they heard the woman out front. "Crap that is McCall."_

"_Get the kid out of here." said the mobster. The blond grabbed the kid then took him to the back room while he listened to the woman. Wanting a better view of Morgan he slipped outside towards the front. Then seeing the blond on the ground off to the side, he had an idea. Calling his men, he said. "Take him to the safe house, keep him on ice."_

_Hearing the blast, he cursed and rushed towards the back of the bar only to see Sam McCall coming his way. Seeing the boy in her arms, he could only take the child when they were rushing towards the front, amazed that someone who had been as intimate with Jason as her didn't realize he wasn't him. _

_Returning the little boy to Elizabeth he could only feel like she should have learned her lesson years ago but clearly she hadn't. Well if nothing else with Jason soon to disappear she would soon be happier. _

_Instead as over the next few days no one noticed he wasn't Jason, the blond had an even better idea as he slipped into the role of Jason Morgan. He had checked on the real Jason, then had him locked away as far as he dared. He couldn't bring himself to kill him, instead he eventually sold him to another of Corinthos Morgan's enemies, a man thrilled to know that Jason Morgan, the real one was no longer a problem for him._

Settling into Jason's life, he had slowly disconnected from the one person observant enough to know there was something wrong even as he liked the idea of Jason being thought a dead beat father. Getting to know his own son, he had sacrificed everything only to be grabbed and to learn that no, he hadn't been his real child.

That the child he had thought he had switched had in fact been already misidentified. He had been searching for the real Michael only to end up captured by the mysterious raven haired woman who had held him hostage for the last three and a half months.

Hearing his name being called, he looked at Mac Scorpio and just said nothing. "You have a visitor."

Seeing Elizabeth Webber sitting across from him, he said "How are you?"

"Fine, Jason." she said then with a deep breath told him what they had found out. Concluding she said "I think Jake is alive."

AJ felt a sense of relief, that was the one thing he truly regretted. Elizabeth had been Emily's friend when he had heard about Nik he had blamed her, hated her for what he saw as betraying his sister's memory until he had heard Helena admitting to what she had done.

Reaching out, he said "Find him, be happy. I am sorry, you have no idea how sorry I am for the pain I have caused you. You are the only true good thing in his life."

Back in his cell, the blond rested his head against the cement and hoped and prayed that Elizabeth got her dreams. As he was led back up to interrogation he watched as Robin, Elizabeth and her brother were talking to Mac in the corner.

"Well the good news is that they only have records for 09 and forward." said Diane. Seeing him watching Elizabeth, she couldn't help thinking that if he had only stayed the course he had been on until his son was kidnapped, Jason wouldn't be in this mess.

"Why am I not surprised." he said with a sigh, certain he was the reason for the mess. "What now Diane?"

Mac let the FBI deal with the case. Corinthos was taking a plea bargain, McCall was showing her true colors and the geek had been committed to a more secure mental hospital after having a nervous breakdown. Sitting down on Robin's front porch he listened to what Elizabeth and she had to say then asked about exhuming the body.

"We already did. It wasn't Jake." she said quietly. Handing over her list, she asked him to find out who had known. When he agreed, Mac called Dante who had been out of the station on the request of the FBI and himself. "I have a case if you are interested in working it."

Looking around his loft, Dante said "I am at my place."

Mac soon showed up and explained while Dante said "Someone let her think her son was dead?"

"I am leaning towards Franco from what we have learned regarding Carly's phone call." said the cop.

Meanwhile Elizabeth was not happy to find yet another brown envelope. Opening it she called John Zachara who said he would be over after dinner then said "They found my father, dead."

"I am sorry, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes, it's just he was located with Helena Cassadine and Franco." he said before hanging up and looking at the agents entering the hotel. Two hours later, relieved to not be under arrest, John took that as a lesson and after arranging his father's burial he drove to Elizabeth's house.

"Where are the boys?" he asked when he heard how quiet it was.

"At the Quartermaine mansion with Alan. His mother died this afternoon." she said wiping away tears. Daisy had died with as much dignity as she could thanking Alan for being such a great son then making him promise to live his life for himself not for her.

"Are you okay, it seems like something else is bothering you?" he asked as Steven joined them.

"Yes, I just talked to Jason today. Our connection, it's gone. I have always in spite of how angry and how far apart we have been had that connection. But I sat across from him and only felt sadness at what he had become." she said trying not to cry. "Its just that feeling that part of me has been there since I was a teenager. It's hard to face."

Steven held his sister while John could only speculate, he had never had that closeness to anyone but Claudia and even there they had both held part of themselves back.

Gathering strength, she saw the bulky package in John's hand and said "What is in that?"

"I haven't opened it." he said while ripping it open and dumping it on the table. Pulling out the inflatable globe, he heard Elizabeth moan of pain then the map, he watched as she handed him the taped letter.

"Elizabeth have you talked to Cassadine since he left town?" he asked frowning.

"No, why?" she answered.

"We need to head to Greece. Can you two get away."

Calling Alan Quartermaine and explaining that they had a possible lead, Elizabeth thanked them before saying she had to see her boys before leaving. The two men gathered up what was needed while Elizabeth went to see Cam and Aidan. Both were excited to get to camp out at their grandparents house while she hugged Alan and Monica who were in pain at what Jason was going though.

"Elizabeth, having the boys here, it makes it hurt less." she was told.

On the jet, she teased the mobster about its amenities which he brushed off by pointing out that Trevor had bought it back while he was in charge. "We have to land on a slightly bigger island then arrange for a boat to take us over to the Cassadine estate."

Resting, they woke up as the jet was landing only to be told Customs had to come on board. "Elizabeth Webber, Robin called Anna who called me."

Seeing her confusion, he said "Frisco, Frisco Jones. I have been sent to help get you onto the island without being noticed."

"Why are we going in like that, why can't we ask to be invited?" she said blinking.

"You will understand when you see what I have to show you." he said then added "We had have Mr. Cassadine under observation since mid 2008."

"Why?" asked Elizabeth curiously.

"He has been having work done on his family's underground bunker. That alone was suspicious. The one that Luke and Laura along with Robert infiltrated to stop them from freezing the world." offered Frisco. "I got involved after my daughter's attack in the park on an investigation into irregular deaths in Port Charles."

"I am sorry about Georgie, Frisco. She was a lovely young woman." Elizabeth said.

"I guess I should tell you, seeing as Anna is telling Mac and Felicia. I found her, I made it looked like she died but someone stole her body from the morgue. I searched and searched then found her in convent, placed there by Anthony Zachara of all people."

"My father? Why, I didn't think he knew her, I mean I don't really know her. I saw her a couple of times but I don't recall ever speaking to her." said Johnny in surprise.

"Your father located her, then convinced her she was his late son's wife. When I finally tracked her down she truly believed she had been married to you, had suffered a miscarriage in a car accident that had also claimed your life. It took months for Kevin Collins to peel away the false memories."

"Why would your dad do that?" asked Elizabeth.

"I don't understand it myself." said John who looked at Frisco who seemed to be covering something "Is there more?"

"It's just your father treated your sister and you horribly, I know about your mother, about the past yet... yet, he set Georgie up as a patient at the convent, a huge sum of money for her, sent gifts through catalogs even when he was in prison until I found her. For a lack of a better way to describe it, he doted on her." said the girls real father.

Docking the boat he said "Cassadine isn't here, he flew to London where we convinced the FBI to claim the body was found."

On shore, he led them to the main house and said "He only has a couple of servants. Alfred and a nanny for his son."

Following the agent quietly, Steven insisted Elizabeth stay between John and him as they searched the lower levels until they arrived at the hatch. "They built the house on top of the bunker."

"What is the pass code?" asked John seeing the panel.

"Laura, we think." said Frisco. Getting inside, he said "We are now on our own, upstairs we had access to help."

Checking the late seventies architecture and styling along with the more up to date electronics, they found nothing on the first level, the second lower level, they found storage, then what looked like a control panel. Getting the screens up and working Frisco hit a few buttons.

"Nothing." he said then swore. "Elizabeth, is that your little boy?"

Gasping in happiness to see Jake sitting in the middle of a room full of toys, she heard his talking to someone and looked at Frisco who said "My guess is a nanny or..."

No one said anything as they saw Jason Morgan sitting on the floor and playing motorcycles with Jake. Hearing their son call him daddy, Elizabeth said "What is going on?"

"Look at Morgan's hair, it's too dark and a bit long." said John who then had an idea. "If this is the real Jason Morgan who is the man in Port Charles?"

"I don't know but there is a helicopter landing on the roof." said Frisco as he figured out what room they were looking at. "Zachara, how handy are you with that gun?"

"Good but I only have the nine mil and two backups." he admitted. "We need Morgan, he is a better shot."

Elizabeth and Frisco went to get Jason and Jake while Steven took over the computer. Running down the long hallways, Elizabeth could hear her son's voice echoing through the hallways. Finding the right room, they used the card they had found in the control room to get the door open.

"Morgan, are you in here?"

Seeing him walking out, with Jake holding his hand was more than Elizabeth could bear but she was soon hugging her son while his father stood a little off to the side. "Jason, you have no idea what has been going on in your absence."

Just nodding because it hurt to look at Elizabeth, knowing she had moved on, Jason said "How do we get out of here?"

"Follow us." said Frisco handing him a weapon while Elizabeth was carrying Jake. "Where are your shoes?"

"Cassadine made sure that I didn't have any. He knew I would try to escape." said the blond as they returned to the central control room.

"They blew up our boat." stated Steven as he took a look at his nephew then at the man beside Elizabeth. "Can any of you fly a helicopter?"

"I can." said Frisco as they got out of the room. "Problem is that they are going to herd us towards it."

"Let me distract Nik. Make him think I am here to see him." said Elizabeth only to be told no by all of them. "Why not, it is our best hope."

"No, Elizabeth, I don't trust him. He is desperate and we still don't know why he grabbed your son." John pointed out. Jason silently stood there as she listened to the young mobster.

"We make it look like we are heading for the boat while Frisco goes to get the helicopter." said John. The blond man nodded then left quietly while John and Jason led the way towards the shore. "Wait, Jason you don't have on shoes. Those rocks are sharp."

"Elizabeth, we have no choice, we have to get Jake and you out of here." he said. "I need you to for once put your trust in me."

"I have always trusted you Jason." she replied.

"If that were true, you would have listened to me and Jake wouldn't have been kidnapped and I wouldn't have lost the last three years of my life." he said quietly. "Instead you listened to Lucky."

A bit ashamed to realize he was right, she picked up Jake, then said "Let's get moving."

Slowly inching forwards, they soon saw that the guards hadn't expected them to go that way and that they were now chasing after them. Getting to the rocky shoreline, Elizabeth winced every time she felt a stone against her sole but soon they heard the whomp whomp of the helicopter as Nik suddenly showed up behind them.

"Elizabeth, you aren't leaving." he shouted. "You are staying here, with me."

Turning as they arrived at the water line she said "No, I am going home with Jake to my sons. You stole my child, Nik. How could you?"

"He, he is the reason you weren't with me, that you didn't chose Lucky. Him and his son. I took him away, I heard that someone had him for sale, I bought him. I should have killed him but Helena said he might come in handy some day. I should have killed him. He is the reason you never loved me."

As the man on the terrace shouted, John took out the last the guards they could see. Then seeing a glint on the top of the fortress he said softly so that only Morgan could here. "Sniper, up high on the roof."

"Get my family to safety." he growled as he lifted his gun, certain the sniper was there to shoot him. "Cassadine, go to hell."

Firing, he hit the sniper but it was too late as a bullet barreled towards them. Seeing Elizabeth jerk, Jason shouted her name, then felt the blood as he reached out to catch her. Hearing the Greek laughing uncontrollably, John shot him and watched as he tumbled onto the rocks in front of him.

Checking to make sure that the man was dead, John emptied his gun into him while in the background he heard Jason and Steven lifting Elizabeth onto the seat while Jake sobbed. Running back, almost stumbling on the rocks, he tossed the dead body down on the front seat before climbing in next to Morgan who was holding Elizabeth.

Taking off, Frisco called ahead and they were on their way to Athens. "It's only nine minutes, Webber. Do what you can to stem the flow."

Landing on a hospital room they soon had a trauma team joining them while Jake clung to Jason. "Morgan you need to be checked out too, Jake as well."

In surgery the visiting doctor from Russia was swearing as he sewed up the wound where he had just removed the bullet. "Doctor, her family is waiting outside."

"I will give them the news, but will need a translator." he told the nurse.

"No, they are American." said the woman as she went to check on the beautiful young patient.

Jeff walked into the hallway, saw the WSB agent he had met a few years before and said "I am trying to locate my patient's family."

"Jeff, I had no idea you were the doctor." said Frisco while Steven had tensed up enough to get both Jason and John's attention.

The Italian stood first, mainly because Jake was curled up on Jason whose skin on his feet were shredded. The doctor had stitched what he could and cleaned up the others but he was going to be in a lot of pain for a while.

"Elizabeth, how is she?"

Turning to the disheveled young man he said "If Elizabeth is the young woman I just operated on, she will be fine. The bullet went through soft tissue but it took a while to find it. She is going to be in pain, but she will make a full recovery."

"Amazing." said Steven in a derogatory tone. Seeing his father's surprise at his being there he said "You, you had no idea, did you?"

"That you were here, no I didn't." he said "Hello son."

Steven looked at him then continued. "No I am talking about the patient and that you just pulled a bullet out of your own daughter. You didn't even recognize her."

Staggering a bit, Jeff looked at his son in shock then said "I learned a long time ago to never look at a patients face during surgery. I had no idea, wait, how did your sister end up in Greece let alone shot?"

With a cold bitter laugh, Steven said "That is none of your business, just like the rest of her life. You can go back to wherever you were, Dad. Leave us to take care of each other, because lets face it we are too much of a bother for you."

"Wait, son..." it was too late, Steven had walked away while Jake had woken up and said "Daddy, I's hungry. Did Unca Steve go to get food?"

Hugging Jake, Jason turned to John and asked him to carry Jake to get something to eat. When the younger man had complied he looked at Jeff Webber and said "Nicolas Cassadine kidnapped me three years ago to removed me from Elizabeth's life. That blond haired boy is our son. I have no idea how but he grabbed him too, then shot Elizabeth when she rescued us with Frisco's help."

"Why are you telling me, don't you blame me as well?" he asked as he led the way into his daughter's room.

"No, mainly because I was making plans to walk away to protect my family. Instead all of this happened. I lost them, Elizabeth is happy now, she will have Jake home, have her perfect family. If she is happy then I am because all I have ever wanted was her happiness. She is my dream, my way of knowing there is good in the world."

Sitting down in the chair next to her, Jason said "I have no idea where we go from here, but I will always, always love your daughter."

Elizabeth laid there, hearing them talking unable to speak as she figured out that the man in Port Charles hadn't been Jason. As little things came together, she could only think back and wish that she could change what had happened. Jason would never forgive her for what she had done.

Drifting back to sleep, she missed hearing John ask to speak to Jason while Steven sat with her. In the hallway, John filled Jason in on everything with a few comments tossed in by Frisco Jones. Silently Jason put it together with the lies that Nicolas had been telling him. Then asked "Elizabeth has a son, who is the father then?"

"She doesn't know, Helena's fingerprints are all over this mess." said Frisco.

Jason wished he had the ability to walk away, to think things through as he heard about the hospital, about his father, about the real Michael, then about arrests. "So I am wanted by the police back home?"

"No, at least I don't think so." said Frisco as he called his boss who called the FBI.

They took the man they had in the cell as Jason Morgan and ran a DNA tests, never seeing him smirking as he knew that it would turn up he was a Quartermaine. He didn't know why they did it but he had already agreed to turn on Sonny to give him one last FU only to be told the man was taking a deal.

In Greece, Elizabeth started to heal as she called Alan and Monica to assure them she was fine and that she had Jake. She promised to bring them a surprise when she returned since Frisco had said she couldn't tell anyone about Jason yet.

A couple of days later, Diane was sitting on a desk, marveling over her new heels when heard her name being called. Seeing Carly she grimaced as the blond shrieked at the news she was given. "Well why haven't you got them out?"

"Carly that isn't going to happen. I am here today because of Jason."

"Jason, what about Jason?"

"He is fine." said Mac. "Diane I need to speak to you in my office. Carly in five minutes, I guess you should hear this too."

Inside, he told her. "The WSB requested the FBI run DNA tests on your client."

"I knew about that." she said while Alexis Davis who entered asked why.

"I don't know but they requested I have all interested parties in my conference room. Would you ladies like to pick and chose which of your illustrious clients get to be there."

Soon Sam and Jason were chained to the table while Mac had an officer between the in spite of Sam's wailing how she loved him and had only done what she had to protect him. After one too many shrieks Mac had had enough and Sam was returned to her cell with Alexis promising to tell her what was said.

Sonny was on the other side while Mac, Diane, the DA, Carly and Dante were standing. Alexis sat down in the same chair her daughter had been cuffed to.

"Okay, I am agent Jurua with the FBI's criminal science division." said the man who entered. "I was asked to run DNA tests on prisoner Jason Morgan."

"May I ask why you did so?" asked Diane while Alexis saw the huge file.

"I wasn't given a reason just asked to compare Mr. Morgan's DNA to any and all members of the adult Quartermaine family. What I found was that yes, Mr. Morgan was the son of Alan and Monica Quartermaine."

There was some puzzlement then Alexis said "Wait, that isn't right. Jason was adopted by Monica after his biological mother died."

"True, Alexis." said Jason with a smug grin on his face as he looked around the room and got that the gig was up. "However I wasn't born Jason Morgan. I was born Alan Quartermaine Junior."

As the sound of Carly's shrieks and Sonny's threats filled the room, the blond gave a chuckle then said "Carly, shut the fuck up, you stupid waste of space, you couldn't even recognize our son and took home the wrong kid. As for you Corinthos, I have waited for this moment for the last few years. I have dreamed of it even as I did your bidding."

"Why?" asked Diane and then she added "Where is my real client?"

"Dead I would presume. I sold him to one of Sonny's enemies I think, didn't really care since they paid me almost five million dollars." he said. "As to the why, it was a complete accident. I was in town to help take them down on behalf of this Russian syndicate. Then I saw Jason was knocked out and Sam came out the window carrying Jake and assumed I was Jason. It was too good to be true."

"How did no one notice?" asked the FBI agent.

"Simply put as long as my brother was doing what was expected by those in his life, they left him alone. The only person suspicious was Elizabeth Webber, but fucking Sam took care of that. It broke her heart and more than likely saved her life. I have seen her watching me, with those beautiful sad eyes and all I could think was that by causing her pain now, I was saving her. Then Jake died..."

"Jake?" asked Carly in a high voice that got Mac's attention. She was on his list of suspects in regards to hiding Jake's no so death.

"When he died, I felt bad. I felt frozen inside because that beautiful little boy I was ignoring so that my brother would be thought a deadbeat, he and his mother were the victims. All I could do was sit and watch as those around my brother acted like he had been a saint when it came to Jake, or they were encouraging me to have a kid with Sam. In the end, I thought that would be my last FU because I was getting ready to run."

"What are you talking about?" asked Carly.

"I found out that Michael wasn't my son, then Jake died so I decided to keep playing games then I was going to leave Sammy pregnant with what she believed to be Jason's kid but broke and thinking I left. Then I was grabbed by this woman and put into cell next to Helena Cassadine. I learned a lot during that time about how Nik used Elizabeth and how he had help from Sam. I also learned that my business partner there was betraying the mob to the FBI."

Shrugging it off, Sonny said "We all know you are a liar."

"Sonny, even liars tell the truth some of the time." he tossed out there. "See I was done, my entire purpose to being here was to make my brother look like the deadbeat he is, not that it worked those around him had him risen to sainthood and Elizabeth was the devil. Funny, I was the one who walked away in the guise of Jason, yet she is the one vilified after Jake died for me not knowing him."

Alexis felt a bit uncomfortable as his words hit close to home but then he continued. "Anyhow, things worked out. Sonny's life imploded. My guess is that Carly lost Jax, why else would she be back here and Sammy, well Sammy the con who thought she had Jason back... well instead she has spent the last few years screwing his brother."

"What about your family?" asked Mac. "What about the Quartermaines?"

"I am sorry for any pain this causes them but in the end, they are better off." he said then asked to be taken back to his cell. Mac ordered two officers to do so then waited until Sonny was gone to tell Diane his elocution was the next day.

Diane who was not thrilled at Sonny's decision to not admit to his crimes was speaking to her client as he was led down the courthouse steps in chains. "Sonny if you don't do what they want, you are going to be back facing life without the possibility of parole."

Sonny couldn't do it, he just couldn't stand there and confess so he ignored her until they heard the shot. Then a second. Getting up from where she had fallen, Diane saw that Sonny was shot, then heard the medics pronounce he was dead, that the bullet proof vest they had on him had been a waste because he had been shot in the head...

Carly was shouting that it wasn't true before she was pulled off the body lying on the courthouse steps. Numb she went to Sonny's only to find she wasn't allowed there by the FBI. The hotel was her next stop before she remembered that Jax had talked her into selling it.

Trying her pal Olivia, she was told Olivia had a new man and that he was now staying with her, Carly gritted her teeth and went to the Quartermaine house intending to use that her son was there to stay. Instead after a quick meeting in which the boy who was insisting his name was Alan she was shown the door.

Meanwhile Sam was not believing a word that Alexis told her. "No, you are wrong. I know Jason, I know the man I love."

"Sam, there is no doubt." Alexis told her.

"Then where is the real Jason, he won't let this happen to me."

"We don't know." she told her then added. "I heard they located Jake. Mac told us then said when he learned more he would tell us."

Sam just muttered who gave a crap before throwing herself onto her bunk. Glaring at the ceiling, she just couldn't help wondering how this had gone so wrong.

"Jason, how are your feet?" asked Elizabeth from the wheelchair they had her in.

"Better." he said then asked if she was up to talking. When she hesitated then said yes, he move her into the shade then told her what Nik had been telling him. "I am sorry, for everything you have been through."

"Jason, why? You are right, if I had gone to the safe house with Sam things would have turned out so differently. I just didn't want her in our sanctuary and now... look at what has happened."

Standing with his back to her as he looked over the olive groves, Jason got that she had thought he meant to send them to their safe house. With a sad sigh, he turned and said "I get it, I do. We lost each other but I can't walk away so where do we go from here?"

"Can you accept what I have done, how I betrayed you, our relationship. With Nik, with Lucky?" she asked hoarsely.

"God, Elizabeth how can you even ask. Do you think I don't get what you were feeling when you saw what looked like me with Sam?" he asked his voice full of pain as he turned and knelt in front of her. "You did what you could to stop from feeling nothing, I get that I do. You and I seemed to be so apart. So alone."

"I felt that way, it felt like you had forgotten all about Jake, about us, then to see Sam there with you, with everyone happy about it... it was like a constant knife in my heart." she admitted to herself as well as him for the first time. "When I saw she was pregnant, it killed me because I had thought we had just lost Jake."

"Hearing what happened, the asking for the kidneys for Joss, it hurts that you didn't notice it wasn't me but damn, do I get it." he replied with some feeling. "I love you, I have never stopped even when I felt hurt that you would have some dream life with Lucky."

"Not a chance of that. I made a mistake while in pain but eventually woke up, Jason." she said reaching out to touch his face. Running her hands along his stubble she said "I love you too. I think we are going to have a rocky road ahead but you should know, I want us together in the end."

Burying his head in her lap as he cried out of a sense of relief and pain, all Elizabeth could do was run her hand through his hand and promise to make sure they got it right this time.

In the distance, Jeff watched his daughter with Monica's son then heard his son and the two other men coming towards him. "What happens now?"

"You go back to your lives, Jeff what you do is up to you and I have a daughter to track down." said a rueful Frisco. He had annoyed Georgie before he had left town the month before and when Anna had reached his place she had found a note that said catch me if you can.

John looked towards Elizabeth and Jason then said "Where is Jake?"

"With whichever nurse he managed to con with his smile." said Steven with a chuckle. Jake's blond hair and ice blue eyes had won him the attention of the entire nursing staff and they frequently had to chase him down as he found that that attention got him whatever he wanted.

"You know, if he was an adult that would be aggravating." said Johnny who then asked when they could fly home.

"Elizabeth can fly now but you need to keep her from doing too much once she is home." warned Jeff who with a look at his son added. "I am going back to Russia, I can do some good there."

They arrived at the Quartermaine mansion 32 hours later, all cleaned up and ready to see the boys. Jake rushed in while the rest of the adults were getting out of the car, shouting Cam's name. Seeing the happiness on both boys faces made the adults cry, while Tracy snarked at them then wiped a tear while she thought no one was looking.

Doctor Alan saw his son walking in with his arms around Elizabeth and then the boys greeting their mom while the man greeted his father then his mother before shaking hands with Edward. Alan had hidden in the corner but Elizabeth called out his name and he came forward to meet the uncle he had heard so much about from Michael and the others.

Hugging Elizabeth he asked fearfully if she was okay only to be told she would be fine in a bit. The boys ran around while Steven and John were thanked by Edward and Doctor Alan. When they told them about Frisco, Edward said "I heard he was involved and that lovely Georgianna was alive. That is wonderful news for Mac and Maxie."

Settling the children down, Alice was showing them the rooms for them and Jake asked his mommy about his room at home and she froze for a moment then said "Jake, mommy is going to give you a whole new room, okay?"

"Okays but I can not sleep in the same one as daddy, he snores sometimes." said the blond to his father's amusement and soon regret as Steven and John teased him about the information.

"What happened, Frisco knew but he said we should hear it here."

"AJ." was all Alan said. Looking at his father, Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Where is he?" Being told that he was in jail, Jason said "I need to talk to him."

"I agree, but he has refused visits from any of us." said Alan. Monica added. "You should know Elizabeth, they are trying to track down who the little boy was."

"Oh god, I hadn't even thought about that." she confessed. Jason and Elizabeth agreed to stay the night while John went to the hotel. Steven checked in at GH and saw Robin and Patrick talking to Maxie. Gathered in a waiting room he gave them the rest of the story.

"So Nik, wow... talk about Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." said Maxie. "Jake, is he okay?"

"Yes, we don't know who the boy was that was buried in his place though. Jason is going to confront AJ tomorrow."

"I can't help feeling if I had never told him about Michael, none of this would have ever happened." said Robin.

"Don't do that, you did the right thing." said Steven. "It was on Carly, on Sonny, on AJ and yes Jason. Jason has a bit of an excuse thanks to his brain injury but Carly and Sonny wanted that little boy for selfish reasons and so did AJ. There was no way this wouldn't have ended in tragedy."

Elizabeth woke up with Jason curled up next to her and the boys in sleeping bags on the floor. Maneuvering her way around, she walked downstairs to where Tracy was pouring coffee. Turning it down but getting a glass of OJ she said "How is Alan doing?"

"The boy or my brother?"

"I guess both." she said eating a muffin.

"My brother has lost his mind and has decided to turn the gatehouse into a photography studio but otherwise he is fine. Alan, his grandson is doing well too. I think that he has found a girl he likes." she admitted with a grimace. "He has been following Dillon's path and hanging around at that diner a lot."

"What about Michael?" she asked.

"Still on the straight and narrow. They were here this week talking about school, then he was telling him about Carly since she is in town." hearing steps she saw Jason entering and getting a cup of coffee before joining Elizabeth on the love seat. When the nurse insisted he eat a few bites of her muffin, Tray split for the office, the love she saw making her annoyed.

"I am going to the station, do you want to come with me?" he asked.

"No, I have had more than enough of those people over the past few years. I am going to track down Robin and see how she is doing." he was told. "Besides, Emma and Jake used to play together. I want to help her deal with that."

Jason entered the station and saw the commotion as Diane walked out of Mac's office then dragged him back into it.. "Well you are a sight for sore eyes. Where had you been."

"A forced guest of Nicolas Cassadine since the middle of 2009, before that I was kept locked up in a cell with no idea who was holding me." he told her. "What kind of trouble is going on?"

"You, you are in no trouble." she said with a smirk. "Your brother on the other hand is knee deep in crap along with Sam McCall and Damien Spinelli. Bernie had to pay a fine for the agency but otherwise he is free and clear. Max and Milo were spirited out of the country my guess by Maximus so he had to hear rumors before hand and didn't warn anyone."

"I heard that Sonny is dead. That he had been betraying the families." he said.

"It's a mess. They have moved in to claim the shipping lanes but it does them no good because Spinelli had them on his computer. The coffee warehouse was cleared along with the rest of the named businesses except for the PI agency."

"I heard about that, how stupid was he to set them up? And how is it Alexis didn't realize that they couldn't run it?" he asked.

"Alexis was just going along to keep Sam happy. We were partnered up for a while, we ended that today since I refuse to work on Sam's defense."

"Good because it is about to get worse. Sam is going to have additional charges brought against her regarding Jake's kidnapping and the incident in the park. I have no proof but I want to look into her regarding the hit and run. Luke Spencer makes too pat of a victim."

"I doubt you get far with that one. Spencer ran and with his kids gone..."

"I heard about Lucky, what is going on with Lulu?" he asked then laughed when he heard "My god she is Carly all over again."

"You have no idea how right you are about that one. She is already in trouble down in Australia. What are you going to do about Carly?" she asked.

"Nothing, I talked to Alan her son last night. He wants nothing to do with her. Michael, I am sure she has already cut out of her life." he said grimly.

"You know Carly." she said flippantly then added. "She doesn't know you are alive."

"Can you arrange a meeting, after I am finished dealing with AJ and Sam?" he asked. She nodded then looking at him said it was nice to have the real Jason Morgan back not the manny who was marrying the hooker.

AJ was led into the room and looked at his brother. He could see subtle differences but otherwise they wore the same face. "I won't ask why. I do get it. You should know, from the moment I held Jake, I regretted what happened, I regretted believing Carly over you."

"Don't change what you did." said AJ. "But I would say we are even know. Your Elizabeth found your kid, my guess is that you win the girl too."

"I already did." he replied. "AJ, I just wanted to face you but-"

"Well you did your good dead." he sneered. AJ waited until he was back in his cell then hoped his people got his signal to get him out of there.

Mac told Sam that Jason wanted to speak to her and she jumped up and was soon being lead docily into the room. "Jason?" she asked in a breathless tone.

When the man turned and she got a good look, Sam's heart stopped for a second then frowned as she said "You aren't Jason."

"Sam, I am Jason Morgan. The real Jason Morgan. The one kidnapped in November of 08and held in the Cassadine bunker. I came for you to see that I am not the man you have been with for the last couple of years, now you can let go."

"No, no, please Jason, listen to me. I love you. I have always loved you. I got fixed so we could have a baby, together. So that we can finally have our own child." she said.

"Sam, I am happy you can have children now, but they won't be mine. It relieved my feelings of guilt over you getting shot. I have a family, Jake, Cameron and Aidan along with their mother, Elizabeth. What happened hurt us short term but in the long run, we will be happy with one another. You need to accept that."

"NO, you don't mean that Jason." she said then the man in front of her walked out of the room and past Alexis who stood there shocked at the man she was seeing. Alexis took a deep breath then went to deal with her distraught daughter. "Sam, are you ready to face reality?"

"I want to be left alone." she said sobbing as she was lead back to her cell.

Jason was waiting for Carly when he saw through the window Michael and Alan talking as they walked down the docks. When he saw Alan shove Michael then both boys start to laugh, he smiled at the sense of normalcy they were exhibiting. "Jason?"

At hearing yet another breathy voice, trembling as they said his name, Jason turned steeling himself for what he knew Carly would do. Sure enough, she tossed her arms around him and started crying and attempted to kiss him.

Pulling back he said "Carly sit down, we need to talk."

"I know, I know, what are we going to do about our sweet kidnapped little boy?" she asked trying to reach out and touch him.

"Nothing because that isn't our little boy. My son Jake is home, with his mother, the woman I am going to marry."

"You can't marry her, she slept with both Nik and Lucky while you were gone. She is..." There were no words left because Jason covered her mouth then said shut up.

"No, you have to hear me. She did."

"I know what happened, I know she thought I was sleeping with Sam after all she did to my son. I get it and she gets that it wasn't me doing those things. Carly you are here for one reason. I talked to Alan and heard that neither Michael nor he are interested in having you in their lives. That is their choice and I am going to respect it. You need to do the same."

"What about us, Jason?" she asked. "You left me."

"Carly I was never with you." he pointed out. "Look, go home to Australia, fix your marriage, you might also want to work on growing up. My promise to Michael is finished, he is a grown man now. You need to move on."

"Jason, you don't mean that, you really, really don't. You are just confused." she said.

"Carly there is nothing confusing me. If you aren't on a plane to Australia Elizabeth and I are going to Mac with the proof that you knew my son was alive. I don't know how much you were aware of but Nik was very talkative while holding me captive."

Carly flinched then looked at the man she had loved for so long. When she had heard about AJ she had been sure that this Jason, he would forgive her. Instead he was cold and mean to her. "Fine, but one day you will regret it."

"I have no regrets about walking away from you, Carly." he told her then added. "I will do you one favor. I will buy your plane ticket back to your children."

It was almost the end of December and Elizabeth was sitting in a small room being sewn into her wedding gown as she and Robin were laughing about how she was going to get back out of it after. "I am quite sure Jason will help."

"Where are the boys, you know how they like to get dirty." she asked suddenly realizing they were missing.

"They are with Jason. At least Jake and Cam are. I think Aidan was gnawing on Steven's tie." she said.

"Elizabeth, are you decent?" they heard, rolling her eyes at the question, Robin let in John then said "We only have five minutes. Don't make her cry for any reason."

Saluting the tiny terror, he closed the door and sat down the brown wrapped package. "I uh, back when we first started our searches my man saw you throwing something out and crying. He pulled it out of your trash can."

"My box of memories." she said softly.

"Here, I thought you should have them back. They are in the package. I am sorry for the delay but I had an idea and it took a while. Turn around." he said then taking out the small package from his tux pocket he lifted it around her neck and fastened the glass red heart. "I figured this should be whole again."

"Oh my, Johnny thank you." she said gently kissing his flushed cheek as she looked into the mirror. "Jason got me this in Venice."

"It is my way of saying thank you. Helping you that day, helped me just like the note said. It allowed me to locate the heart I had lost for a while." he said then walked to the door and added. "Be happy."

"I will, I am." she said seriously with a smile. Seeing the cracks deep in the heart and how they seemed to heal the more you looked, Elizabeth missed hearing Monica at the door. "Oh, I am sorry."

"Don't be. You look wonderful in spite of the last minute alterations." s he said with a smile. She had heard Elizabeth was pregnant and if the rumors about the altered bust line were true, it meant she was going to be a grandmother again.

"Peanut are you ready?" asked Steven coming in the room in time to see Monica hugging Elizabeth as she went to find her seat. "Grams said to tell you that we have maybe a half hour tops before Aidan gets frisky again."

"Are we ready?" she asked Robin as she entered the room followed by Kelly Lee and Maxie Jones both wearing green. "Where are the bouquets?"

"Alan is handing them to us as we enter the nave." said Maxie. "Are you sure you want to do this, I mean we can run now and not get caught."

"Maxie, get out there." she ordered laughing as the blond said "Are you sure."

"It's too late, Jason has guards on the door to keep her from running." stated Steven. They had tried this on Elizabeth's birthday but in the middle of the ceremony the medical staff including her had been paged as an industrial accident had happened.

She had been teased about being a runaway bride every since by everyone that knew then including her own sons who said that no one was allowed to interrupt them getting married this time. "Enough., I am walking down that aisle."

"She did that last time too." said the Korean with a smirk.

"I am marrying Jason." insisted Elizabeth with a glare.

"She didn't manage that last time." said the blond back at Kelly Lee.

"We are going to live happily ever after and if Maxie doesn't want me to tell Kate where she really was Monday night, we are going to get this thing started."

The blond shut up, the idea of her boss finding out she went to a Monster Car Rally with Dante and his brothers not to her liking. "Okay, I am going."

Kelly and she took the flowers from the Quartermaine garden, then walked discreetly down the aisle while Robin followed behind. Just as the wedding march started, Aidan woke up and started to fuss but Jason just took him from Audrey and held the two year old as his mother walked down the aisle with Jake and Cam in front of her.

The two boys stood solemnly beside their mother as she and their father got married, all the while remembering that they were promised cake by Big Alice if they were good. Jason slid the ring on Elizabeth's delicate fingers while she did the same with his then leaned down to kiss the bride just as Maxie nodded at Matt who send the secret text.

Within seconds, every single cell phone in the place started buzzing or ringing, the loud medley of sounds getting some laughter that grew as Jason and Elizabeth ignored them and kept on kissing. "May I present Elizabeth and Jason Morgan."

Walking back down the aisle, Elizabeth took her flowers from Robin then stuck her tongue out at a smirking Maxie then hugged her bridesmaids and her children. Jake and Cam rushed back up the aisle while Jason thanked John and Patrick for standing up with him. Outside, standing to greet their leaving guests, the Quartermaines were first to head to their house where the reception was going to be.

Tracy unbended enough to hug them then thanked Jason again for freeing Luke from his guilt. It had been Carly that had hit Jake, but Sean had covered it up for her. Luke had gone straight to Paris where his ex wife was and Tracy had divorced him.

Edward was just excited as he hugged them then hurried to the waiting Bentley while Monica and Alan herded the boys so they could ride with them. Alan hadn't gone back to work as a doctor, he had been strictly putting around as an amateur photographer.

He had wanted to do the wedding but Elizabeth had convinced him she would rather have him as a guest. He had however done the engagement photo for the newspapers. Monica had been fine with that, she herself had cut down on her hospital hours to spend time with her family.

Seeing Michael talking to Alan and Kristina, she was glad they had worked out their problems. When Alan and she had started dating, Michael had protested, pointing out they were adopted brother and sister until they had all worked with a counselor. Michael had accepted they were dating and was now himself dating a young college freshman. Christina Baldwin.

Elizabeth had had a few uncomfortable moments with both the Davis girls, while they had accepted that Jason wasn't the man they had known during the reconnection with their sister, they had felt he should have given her a chance. Alexis had finally sat them down and explained yet again before telling them that yes, Sam had done all those things to Jason's son. That had finally helped them accept he wasn't going to return to their sister.

As Patrick kissed his wife, Elizabeth said "Get a room."

"We have with a nice comfy bed but we aren't getting back to it for hours, so tough." he said then kissed her. "You make an incredible bride."

Robin touched the heart she was wearing then looked over at John who was on the phone and said "He told me about find this broken. I am glad it is whole again."

"Me too, the one inside as well." she said hugging her friend then hearing the teasing reminded them they had to head to the reception.

Once in the limo, Jason pulled her into his arms and kissed his wife. "About damn time."

Laughing she said "I love you, Jason Morgan."

"I love you too, Elizabeth Morgan. Now how soon can I get you out of that dress?" he asked as he kissed her yet again.

"We have dancing, cake, the boys, more than likely more dancing. So I would say three hours minimum."

"How about two?" he asked as he kissed his way down her neck.

"I thought you wanted to tell everyone about the baby?" she asked.

"No, not if it is going to delay us finding our bed." he announced as his hands reached for the buttons he was sure were in the back. Finding a seam, he eased them around, then nothing. "Wait, how do I get you out of this?"

With a smile she said "You are going to have to cut me out, very carefully. My bust grew too much for it to fit right."

The dances were danced, the cake cut and the announcement made as Elizabeth and Jason were joined together in wedded bliss.

The End.


	2. Chapter 2

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

The beautiful young woman sat on the roof helipad the gaping wound inside of her an ever present reminder of all that had happened since her supposed death. Looking down over the side she watched the traffic in the already darkened sky wishing with an almost desperate need for something anything to give her back the sense of belonging she had before she learned the truth.

A man, a dark and admittedly criminally insane man had for but a brief time given her that peace with his tragic story of lost love; too bad it had all been a tall tale. For months she had been without memories, only knowing the _truth_ he had told her.

How she had fallen in love with his son, how his son had adored her. How they had gotten married, then found out about their baby. How a car accident had taken the man she loved and the child she had been carrying from her.

Too bad it had all been a lie, Dr. Collins had tried to convince her that learning the truth was a good thing, too bad it didn't feel that way to her. Those dreams, that child had been real to her, as real as the life she had lost. Still months, almost years later, Georgie was restless, aching for a life she had never had with a man she had never really knew.

Looking at her watch, then attaching the carbiner, she dove off the side of the building, finding footing on the balcony below as she got past the supposedly tight security and let herself into the warm room. Getting what she had come for, she looked around and decided to let her curiosity have full reign.

John left the wedding, heading back to his penthouse office at the hotel. Sitting down behind the desk, he took out the list of questions he had. Who was the send of the letters and why had they been so interested in his being involved? Did they know that Jason's brother had been posing as him or was that a complete surprised to them?

Answering his phone, he let Marty know he would be right down, then placed the notes back in the file before heading down to deal with Kate Howard. She had been less than thrilled to find out that not only had he bought the hotel but that he had also purchased Jasper Jacks shares in her magazine.

"Ms Howard, what may I do for you?" he asked formally as he joined her in the restaurant.

"As a full partner in Crimson, Jax made certain decisions with me, do you intend to continue to do so?" she asked a bit frostily.

"No I have no more knowledge in how a magazine is run than in how to perform brain surgery." he told the woman. Looking across the table at her, he said "As long as you are no longer trying to sabotage the magazine, I have no problems in leaving it in your capable hands. I only bought Jacks' interest in it because he wanted to off load all of his American companies."

"Fine, I will keep you up to date with the monthly sales and subscriptions, along with the usual reports but will not bother you with the day to day running of things." she replied.

"That will do." he stated then asked about the one thing he did want stopped. "We do have to discuss your habit of taking the hotel over for fashion shoots, this hotel and the magazine are separate entities, you need to respect that. Inform Marty beforehand when you would like to shoot and he will let you know if that area is available."

"I only did that to annoy Carly, so I have no problems with that." she said stiffly.

"Well I am not Carly. Also we are going to be bringing in a team of designers to make some changes. Jax indulged his wife, letting her decorate and I can't help disliking the style she went with. We are going to create a more clean and modern look for the common areas then move on to the hotel rooms. Eventually I plan to have the retail area and the offices redone as well."

Kate thanked him for letting her know then watched as the young man who had at one point worked for her leave, stopping to check on the staff, speaking to a couple of the guests as he did so.

Taking out her phone, she called Olivia and said "What are you doing this evening?"

"I'm at home." she replied. She was soon invited to the hotel and joined her cousin at the table. "So, what is up, Kate?"

Looking at her dark haired cousin, she said "I was just thinking about you, John Zachara was letting me know of the changes here and I got to wondering was what going on and how you were liking working for your ex."

"I am not working here, Jax got me a job at ELQ before he moved out of town." she said with a stare at Kate. "It's funny, that was almost five months ago, what happened to us, Kate, we used to be so close."

Kate wanted to snap that Olivia slept with Sonny who was dating Kate at the time, but instead just replied. "Time and distance. We grew up, Olivia. So how is the good doctor?"

"Long gone." she said dryly. "We sort of just never really got past a couple of months. In part because his sister needed him, then he was busy with the hospital. So I started seeing a lawyer who worked for the city but it turns out he had a wife that just didn't understand him. He said he was filing for divorce and I let him stay with me for a few weeks but then he found someone else. So that ended and now I am a free woman. What about you, still seeing the bar owner."

"No, Coleman up and sold Jake's without even letting me know he was leaving." she said frowning a bit. "I got a post card from Nevis and that about three months ago."

The two quickly finished their drink and went separate ways, Kate to her office where she saw Maxie at her desk still wearing the bridesmaid dress from earlier that day while Olivia went back to her place and called her son.

"Maxie, is there something you need?" asked her boss.

Looking up, the blond said "I had a file about the Heart Awareness month push to remind people to donate their bodies but I must have taken it home."

"Give a Heart?" asked Kate going into her office. Lifting it, she said "I made some notes, I thought it was for an article in Crimson since the deadline for the February issue is next week. Would you like to put one in?"

"Are you serious?" she asked her boss stunned at the idea.

"Yes, I will let Rulf know to save you some space. About three pages. If you want photos in it, you need to let him know." she said then grabbing her purse said "I hope the wedding went well."

"Yes, they actually got married this time." she said with a smirk. Driving home, she joined Mac in the kitchen where he was getting a bottle of water. "Dad, I forgot to ask but did you hear from Georgie today?"

"Yes, she left a message and an email address where we can reach her at." he said pointing to the refrigerator. "I can't believe Frisco had her training with the agency."

Giggling a little Maxie said "I am surprised she didn't shoot him when she got all of her memories back."

While Mac hadn't passed on the whole story to his daughter, he had told her that she had lost her memories after Frisco's botch rescue attempt the night she had supposedly been killed.

I wasn't sure who was behind her death, then I lost her after the removal from the morgue. I didn't locate her again for almost five months and she was at the St. Martine's convent's convalescent home under the name Susanna Zachara.

"She was convinced that old Anthony was her father-in-law and that she was his son's widow. You wouldn't believe the room she was in, the clothes he had arranged. There was not a single item that wasn't top of the line. When I got her out of there with Kevin's help, he insisted we bring everything she had there.

We found letters from Zachara, that helped Kevin slowly peel the lies away. It took a almost a year but she was well, not broken but it was like she was missing her spark. I didn't know what to do so I took her back to Europe with me.

"She convinced Sean to let her go through the training program. I was against it, but in the end I relented. Mac, she took to the training like she had been doing it all her life. I am not only talking the physical stuff, nor the weapons though her aim was sharp shooter territory.

I mean the mental training, the lifestyle training, you know in spite of not wanting that life for her, it was hard not to be proud of how well she did. Then Sean had a problem, one we weren't expecting since even after what had gone on she had had a clean mental health bill.

When Frisco saw Mac's fear he said "No, nothing too bad, just... she started testing her limits. She would climb buildings or rappel down them for the hell of it. Sean said she was bored, but I think she had a plan, one she refused to tell me about. We argued the day before I was sent to help take down Cassadine.

When I returned, she was gone. I get that she felt I was being too protective but I think it had more to do with whatever was going on in her head." he said with a worried sigh. "I am sure she will be on contact now that we are positive Cassadine is no longer a threat."

Steven checked in on the boys, then went to call the hospital. "Epiphany, anything I need to know about."

"No it was a quiet night." she said looking over the files. "We have four operations scheduled for today, nothing major. You have a meeting tomorrow in your sister's place with Tracy. I think your assistant passed on a request to do it at Elizabeth's house." 

"No, I will call her and make it at the mansion, that way the boys can spend some time with Edward." he stated. Hearing Cam calling out to him, he said "I have got to go, I have to drop Cam off at school."

Things were a bit more somber at the Quartermaine house, thanking Mac Alan held his wife and said "I just thought we should be sure."

"I am sorry, Alan. I get it, trust me I do, I spent a very long time dreaming that Georgie wasn't dead."

"It's fine, we just needed answers. With what happened with AJ, Alan and well, Jake." said Monica. Hearing footsteps, she was happy to see Michael and Alan as they came into the room. "What are the two of you up to?"

Michael looked between his grandparents and Mac Scorpio before asking. "Is it AJ?"

"No, nothing like that. Mac ran some tests for us regarding Emily. Now stop trying to deflect. Why are the two of you here in the middle of the day?" she asked.

"Classes were canceled, the fire alarm system is going bonkers after an experiment went wrong in the labs." said Alan who then added. "The entire building smells like burnt rubber."

"Were you there when it went bad?" asked their grandfather.

"No, thankfully I was tutoring Michael so he can keep up with me in our math class." he said. "We came here and were going to use the study but Tracy is in there with that auctioneer again."

"You can use my office." offered Monica as they thanked her and waved goodbye as they went to get some snacks before going to study. "What a difference."

"I can't believe it is the same kid." admitted Mac. "He doesn't sulk, he doesn't whine, he seems to stay out of trouble."

"Not completely. He had a run in with someone at school over being Sonny's son." Monica told him. "The Dean gave them both a warning then gave me a call."

"I hate to say it but Sonny's and AJ's pasts are going to haunt both those boys." stated Alan. "Did you hear we located Micheal's biological family. Turns out they were connected to Corinthos through his stepfather."

"I still don't understand, I saw AJ's disdain for that entire group when he elucidated to what he had done, how is it that no one, I mean none of them noticed that he was mainly protecting Michael? That other than that, he just went along with what they wanted." asked Alan.

"But that is just it, he was doing what they wanted, so they didn't care." said Monica who added with a sigh. "I was talking to Brenda, she called the other day. She had heard what was going on from Jax. She said she should have noticed something was up in Rome when he was there. That Jason had seemed off but she was so scared, she just chucked it up to her fear."

"You know, that is what AJ said when I questioned him." said Mac. AJ had been sent to prison out of state at his request and Mac had been the officer who had transported him. There had been a visit by Alexis before he had left, he had only smirked when she had screamed at him for what he had done to her daughter.

Half a world a way, Carly was not happy but she had no choice but to do what Jax wanted. Playing the happy housewife when they met with his Thai business associates, she was surprised when Jax was so nice until they returned home.

"Jax, thank you for forgiving my mistakes." she said only to be informed that he hadn't forgiven her but he didn't want anyone to know he had married so badly. "How can you talk to me this way?"

Looking at her with a steady glare, Jax then turned and walked away to check on his children. Finding Bobbie with Morgan and Joss, he was happy to spend the rest of the evening with the trio while Carly sat down on the terrace.

Hearing the phone ringing, Carly got to it before her husband. "May I speak to Jasper Jacks please?"

"Who may I say it calling?" Carly had answered the phone, this was not the first call from this slightly accented female voice. She was bound and determined to find out who this woman was, most business calls went to his cell phone or his office.

"Just tell him it is about Far East Financing." said the woman smiling at the idea of Carly Jacks turning green. Ah, if only she knew how much the voice annoying her had anything to do with her exile from her beloved Jason, she thought with a smirk.

Carly was starting to demand more information when she saw Jax coming with his hand out for the phone. Handing it over, she left to go and find another phone. Listening in as discreetly as she could, she wasn't happy to hear Jax agree to a meeting with the woman the next day.

Since it would be too obvious for her to show up, she called Lulu and demanded she find out what was going on since she worked at the same building. "Carly, I can't. Lady Jane has made it clear I can't get involved with another one of your schemes."

In Sydney meanwhile, the woman staying in the Penthouse suite, hung up the phone then went to her computer. With a couple of keystrokes, she dealt away the last of her late lovers family's holdings.

Juan had had her fooled, she had thought him a fairly successful but simple living musician until the day she had walked in on a meeting he had been having. She had been horrified to find out that he was the grandson of a mobster named Rivera. That his mother Lily had died in a car bombing while married to Sonny Corinthos, yet another mobster.

Juan had gone to South America on a tour and had met up with his grandfather's late family from Porto Rico long before he had met her and he wasn't going to change for anyone. Within months he had taken over the family business. Within hours of her finding the truth, he had given her a choice, him or morals?

She had made the mistake of choosing him. Things had gone on smoothly then within one month the truth about her life had been impossible to face. First she had seen Juan take pleasure in selling a man she had never known was being held in their basement to a man she had had no doubt was insane.

Then had come the day she had walked in to find him in their bed with a woman wearing the face of his late first love Emily. She had stood outside the door, listening as they discussed his dumping her all the while holding her terminal medical diagnosis in her hand.

Making a call, she had ratted him out to his enemies, then had taken control of his business assets when he had been killed along with Rebecca. Going through his files, she had found all he had been up and that Rebecca and he had been lovers since the moment he had heard about her through the grapevine in Port Charles.

She was well aware that his family had put a price out on her head and she didn't care. She had nothing left except to finish her plan then make public what would cause her mother the most pain.

Alan Quartermaine was home where he belonged after Juan had found him, hired a nurse to make the man pay for objecting to him dating his daughter. Juan who had blamed Sonny for his mother's death, had found out that Sonny's son wasn't the real McCoy.

But the real prize had been finding out the man Juan had been holding, the man he had then sold had had someone impersonating him in Port Charles. Looking into it, she had been shocked to discover the death of the almost four year old and had gone to straighten things out.

That had led to the Cassadine family and it's dark secrets. One of those had led her to the truth about her own life and a woman she wanted nothing to do with, her natural mother. Alexis Davis the woman whose public persona was one of law and order who made back door deals to cover up for the woman she thought was her daughter's crimes.

_

Jason reached out and pulled his naked wife back into his arms. "Where do you think you are going?"

Relaxing against him, taking pleasure if the feel of his body against hers, she said "Food, I am desperate for food."

"Stay here, I will get us something to eat." with that he slipped on the jeans he had been wearing during their late night bike ride. "Don't move so much as an inch."

Laying back, she thought about Steven with the boys, then about the wedding that had taken place just two days before. Reminded of her necklace, she reached into the drawer on the nightstand only to hear Jason remind her she wasn't supposed to move.

"I am just getting this." she said dangling it by the chain.

"Should I be jealous?" he asked sitting down the breakfast tray and reaching out for the heart. "Wait, is this our glass?"

"Yes, John found it shattered in my memory box when I threw it out. He decided to have it reformed for me. I was just recalling that I hadn't told you what it had been originally." she said as she sat up then smiled when he sat the tray on the bed between them.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked a bit concerned because she hadn't made a run for the bathroom yet.

"I think my morning sickness is gone." she said with a slight smile as she ate the fork of omelet he was holding out for her.

The newlyweds, ate, talked then found themselves once again without clothes as they took pleasure in each other. Jason sighed as they got comfortable curled up next to one another. "I was thinking should we check on the boys?"

Looking at the clock, then subtracting she said "We should wait, they are probably still asleep."

Jason was holding her when he heard her sigh. "What is it?"

"Aidan. I just want to know why Helena did this and whose DNA our son has." she confessed. "What if there is a medical emergency, we have no idea about what could go wrong."

"How do we look for the truth?" he asked kissing the top of her head.

"I can have them do a DNA map, tracking what he got from me, then what he got from his father. It might give us something to go on, but we know Helena wouldn't use some random strangers DNA so I have to find out whose she did." 

_

John woke up, not certain what had disturbed him. Looking around, he saw nothing that worried him, nothing out of what his bedroom usually looked like. Hearing a soft sound from downstairs, John reached for his gun and threw back the covers to head down and check it out.

Seeing nothing, checking everything, he saw the water glass he had left on the table earlier had slid across leaving a water streak and he just shook his head before padding back up the stairs. In his room, he set his gun back on the night table before getting back between the sheets.

Sniffing, he could smell an elusive sweet scent. Not sure what was going on, he fell into an uneasy sleep. In the darkness the shadow reached onto the dresser and left the note and an offering in exchange for the Tag Heuer watch she placed in her small zipped pocket.

Walking over, to stand close to the half covered and naked man, she leaned down, tucked the silk sheet around him. With a quick look, she couldn't resist leaning down and kissing the sleeping man. Then gently sprinted to the nearby terrace when he stirred.

Reaching the carbiner, she attached it and had soon herself lifted by the automatic winch to the floor above then eased her way out of the building without being noticed.

Up in the penthouse, John woke up, shook his head clear of the odd dream and went back to sleep, determined to ignore the odd feelings that were surrounding him that evening.

Maxie sat at the table in Kelly's, her eyes red as she tried to concentrate on the article. "Maxie, are you alright?"

Looking up at Steven Webber who was carrying Aidan while Cam and Jake were rushing for the stools at the counter. "Yes, no. Did you know about Matt?"

"He gave me two weeks notice on the day of the wedding." he said looking at her with concern. "I know he was going to ask you to come with him. What happened, I would have thought someone as interested in fashion would love to move to Paris."

"A few years ago, yes. But I have a career here, if I left I wouldn't have that. I wished him well but I can't go." she said wiping the tear coming down her face." she said. 

Hearing the boys calling his name, Steven could only tell her if she wanted to talk, he would listen before joining his nephews who were telling the owner what they wanted for breakfast.

The middle aged blond only said "Aren't you all up a bit early." 

Ruefully, Steven said "Their parents called from Italy and I haven't been able to get them back to bed."

Catherine just turned in their order then went to take care of the newest customer. The older man looked a bit off as he stared at Steven Webber, then looked around the diner. Sneering he was about to leave when Maxie said "Mike, where have you been?"

The old gambler didn't admit he had spent almost a year in a hospital after a beating from a loan shark so he said "I was on a trip. What the hell happened. Why is this place no longer Kelly's. Who is Rappaport?"

"That would be me." said the middle aged blond owner. "I would prefer you not use that language in my place."

"What is going on?" he asked annoyed. "Why would Bobbie let you change the name of the diner."

"I purchased the diner from Ms Jones before she moved to Australia with her daughter." she stated. "I think I would like you to leave, you are ruining the good aura I like around here."

Storming out, heading to the coffee shop, he was not happy to see that the building had a sign on it that said Morgan Enterprises. Entering as the barista was setting up for the day, he demanded to see his son or Jason.

"Mr Morgan is on his honeymoon in Italy and Mr. Corinthos was killed earlier this year on the courthouse steps, sir." said the man not recognizing the man in front of him.

Driving out to Sonny's in the old beater he had picked up, he was stunned to see no guards, the grass overgrown and a sign stating the property was for sale. Turning towards Carly's house, he saw a couple getting into separate high end cars and driving off. The Brownstone was still up for sale and that left only the hotel.

Entering, he demanded to speak to Jax only for Marty to stick him in a small room out of the view of the guests then called Dante Falconari. The police officer, groaned looking at the incredibly beautiful woman asleep on his bed and then dressed, kissed her awake and said "I have to go, my grandfather is in town and doesn't know my dad is dead."

Serena smiled stretched then said "I will be out of here as quickly as possible."

"No, stay." he said with a slow smile. "I like the idea of you still warming my bed while I am dealing with this insanity."

Serena laid her head back on the pillow, her mind traveling back to the night before and the handsome man she had met at the hospital after she had dropped of some papers for Lucy. She normally didn't sleep with a man on so little acquaintance but he had charmed her by not trying to do so.

Dante dealt with Mike Corbin who yelled and complained about all that had happened. When he tried to deny what Dante was saying the officer just shouted at him that he was not facing reality. That Sonny was dead, that he had deserved to die and that the family was better off with him dead.

Michael who had also been called heard the sound of skin against skin and entered to see that Dante had a red mark on his jaw and that the man he had thought of as his grandfather looked rough.

"Mike, enough, Dante isn't at fault here. Sonny was. Now instead of learning this almost a year later, where have you been? My guess holed up avoiding a bookie or a loan shark, so which was it."

Flushing he said "I was in the hospital."

"I can figure out why." he said disgustedly. "Dante, I will deal with him. Then he can find a place to squat and stay out of our lives."

"I am your grandfather." he said with a cunning look at the two men as he got that nothing was like he had left it and that Sonny was no longer there to help him out.

"Not mine you aren't." he said with a level look at the older gambler. "A lot has changed, starting with my learning that Sonny and Carly aren't my parents and the real boy Carly gave birth to, he isn't likely to fall for your shenanigans."

Michael found a squalid little place that he knew Mike would be able to afford when he got a job, then paid the first months rent and the security deposit. Stopping the landlord he said "He leave, he wants the money instead, don't give it to him."

Mike went into his room, found the lumpy bed, laid on it then tried to wrap his mind around all he had heard. Frowning because he needed at least fifty thousand or his life was forfeit, he tried to figure out what to do before he lost his life. As he went through all possible assets, he swore as he realized he had other grandchildren.

Spencer whose father was filthy rich and Kristina and they all knew Alexis was a soft touch if you played her just right. Then here was Morgan, surely he had a right to a share of whatever his son had left behind, if he annoyed his son's former partner, brought up how he had once been married to his daughter, he would toss him a buck or two, maybe even point out to the loan shark who he was messing with.

_

Michael meanwhile had joined Alan and Kristina. "Where is your girl friend?"

"I didn't get a chance to call her, Mike Corbin showed up in town." he said annoyed. "The same usual bullshit about family while all the while wanting money."

"You know what his next move is going to be, mom or me." said the high school senior. "And Mom, the way she is, if he puts the blame on Jason, we know she will bite."

Kristina's starry eyes innocence regarding her sister was ripped away one day while playing around with her mom's computer. She had found a file on it about Sam, then not believing what it had said, she had researched the claims.

After Alan had told her what he had heard from others around town, she had told him he couldn't be telling the truth. She had known about the local stuff but she had blamed that on what had happened to Sam, learning the truth had been quite a shock.

When she had confronted Alexis, her mother had been angry with her then had said that Sam's life had been the way it was because of Helena stealing her away. Deciding to talk to Sam, Kristina had gone to Pentonville's woman's prison.

The visit had been an eye opener as Sam tried to put all the blame on others. Kristina had walked away and in spite of Molly's pleadings hadn't written to Sam again. Alexis had been upset but hadn't pushed it. She was learning to fight her battles with Kristina after the huge blow up over her dating Alan Autumn.

John woke up, looking through the slight gap in the curtains frowned at how bright it was. It had to be almost nine for it to be that bright this close to Christmas. Trying to recall if he had turned off his alarm the night before, he slid out of bed, sniffing the air surprised to still identify the sweet scent.

Stretching and walking to his dresser, he frowned when he saw the silver frame. Picking it up, he almost dropped it when he saw his mother, holding him on her lap at the piano. A combination of disbelief and fear came over him as he got that during the previous night, someone HAD been in his bedroom.

Setting the picture down, he looked for his watch. Not finding it, he saw the black piece of paper folded over. Lifting it, he saw the neat scrip as he read "catch me if you can."

Frowning, he looked around, then closely examined his room. Nothing was out of place except for the way the curtain was open just a bit. Stepping onto the small balcony, he saw the slight scratch on the shiny black surface.

"Who are you and what are you up to?" he asked as he went inside to shower and dress.

_

In Australia, Jax was being flown into the city from the station, his mind on his wife, this time in name only. He had found out how bad of a mistake he had made when Jerry had sent him a message. A message that to this day made Jax sick when he looked at the woman living under his roof.

Carly had been the driver of the hit and run. He had suspected she thought she had done so then had that guard Sean do something to fix things. Jax hadn't believed Carly could be so cruel only to find that not only had she been the driver but that she had known it was Jason Morgan's son.

The child of the man she claimed to care about before all others, she had hit his son and walked away because she had hated Elizabeth for Carly's lapse in judgment that had cost her the very slim chance she had had with Jason.

That alone was hateful but the part that really tore Jax apart was that while Joss had been recovering a nurse had made a comment that had had Carly doubting it WAS Jake whose kidney had ended up in their daughter. Carly had found out the truth but had kept up the lie to try and attach Jason even more to their child.

That she had been at the same time pushing Sam into having a child with Jason, that she had been pushing for them to marry proved to Jax that she hadn't expected her lie to last and she had been determined to prevent Jason from ever learning the truth that Elizabeth and he had been mourning for nothing.

Feeling the helicopter start to descend he brought his mind around to the woman he was about to meet. Taking the direct approach once they were seated across from one another he asked her why she had wanted to meet.

With a smug smile she said "Quite simply I am dying, there is no saving me. I have cancer. I asked you to meet with me because of your connections to Port Charles."

Sitting back in his chair, dumbstruck he said "Okay, I'll bite. What do you want?"

"My family is back there, I have never met them, they don't know about me. I find my mother to be a smug self satisfied woman full of her own self importance and my sisters to be less than attractive young women who are following in their mother's pitted footsteps. Yet..."

"Yet, what?" he asked trying to figure out who fit the profile. "I gather I know your family some how."

"You could say that. As I was saying, I think there are a few truths that need to come out after my death. I would like to have my attorney give you a key to my bank vault. There is a letter there, if after reading it you think no one should know what is in it, destroy it and give the money to charity. If you don't do that, in thirty days another letter goes to the Port Charles Herald."

Looking into her eyes, he could see a coldness that gave him shivers down his spine. "Who did this number on you?"

"A whole lot of people. My grandmother who wanted me dead, my adopted parents who gave me an education that was unrivaled but no love. The man I fell in love with almost twelve years ago still dreaming of his first love and more recently I when I learned the truth, I found a woman who I don't want to know. So I took matters into my own hands to right a few wrongs."

"Should I ask?"

"My grandmother is no longer an issue, my parents stopped being an issue years ago, the man I loved is dead and I righted a few wrongs using the ill gotten money that belonged to my lover. What is left over, is in the account I told you about." she said. "There is some that belongs to your stepson, Morgan."

"Excuse me?" Jax was flummoxed then sickened as she told him about knowing that AJ while pretending to be Morgan had been missing and how she had used it for her own gain while leaving out she had been the one holding him.

"I sent a ransom demand, Sonny Corinthos paid it from his own funds, after days of trying to find a way to access Morgan's money. I set it up for him not to be able to do so. I wanted the money from Corinthos. You should know, your wife was involved in the games."

Grunting, Jax said "I am not surprised."

"Yes, I don't think you have missed much that she has done since your daughter's transplant. Are you aware she was behind the hit and run and then had some guard set it up to make Luke Spencer look guilty. I looked into it, she didn't seem to actually know that it wasn't the Webber woman's son." she added when she saw the woman wearing the disguise that was being seated behind Jax out of his sight line.

"Doesn't change what she did." he said knowing that in truth Carly had known then added. "You called out to the station deliberately instead of my office to get her riled up, didn't you?"

"Oh course. I get why you stay with her, the children, but she is nothing more than jumped up trailer trash. I don't get it, a man like you... why settle?" She saw that the woman looked tense as she tried to control her urge to attack the woman with her husband.

Carly who was counting to ten, then twenty and finally thirty had no sooner got control when she heard Jax's answer. "My first love was thought dead, I moved on in the meantime. Brenda and I well we were passionate, but we would burn out then rekindle. In between there were a few women that held my heart including Carly. I find I don't believe in true love anymore."

"Yet you stay with her." she pointed out.

"Like you said, we have children. At the beginning, she was different or I saw her differently, I don't know. Now, I just keep the peace for Joss and Morgan's sake. Keep her in control, so that she doesn't ruin them like she did their brother."

"I know about the terrace house, in town. I am surprised, from the way I read you, you aren't built to cheat yet, you have had other women there since moving back here." she asked in a questioning tone while Carly felt her heart stop.

"My marriage is my business." he said firmly then added "I have to get back to my office. My mother and I have a meeting."

"Oh, on that one, watch Lulu Spencer's brother, he is working on finding away to hit the charity your mother is running." she added standing. Holding out her hand to shake Jax's she added. "Thank you, my attorney will be in touch."

Nodding, he watched her walking away when who her mother had to be hit him. Gasping he muttered the name Alexis even as he reached for his cell phone. Hitting speed dial 5, he heard the sleepy sound of Alexis' voice.

"Get on a jet to Sydney as soon as possible." he ordered. Hanging up, he turned around and grasped the arm of the brunette sitting at the table. "Hello wife, come with me. Next time remember to change your perfume if you are going to spy."

Carly wretched her arm out of his then said "You bastard you are cheating on me."

"So?" he asked arrogantly. "File for divorce."

Wanting to slap him, she just reminded him if she did that she left with nothing.

"That isn't my problem." he told her. "You should have thought about that before in Port Charles. I gave you plenty of chances over the years, but each time, Sonny and or Jason were more important than me or our marriage. Now, now you are a convenience. You might want to remember that."

Back in Port Charles, Alan went to his session with the doctor like he did every week. "How are you doing?"

Sitting down on the sofa then with a smirk he laid back then said "Good, I am missing my mother though. It's hard in spite of the letter, to wrap my mind around things. What she did, what my biological father did. What that blond woman did."

"What about Carly, while I have heard you refer to AJ in terms of being related to you, I haven't seen the same in regards to Carly." he was told in a neutral tone.

"While I can see AJ in that way, I can't her."he said then added. "I think it is because of Michael and how he talks about her and how he feels if she wasn't trying to keep Uncle Jason close, she would have ignored him too, like she does her other son."

"Okay, well we discussed reading your mother's letter, how do you feel about it?"

With a heavy sigh, Alan said "It was mainly about how I was switched. How AJ had kidnapped a couple of kids besides his son. How Michael and I were both brought into the hospital the same night."

"Does it bother you that no one noticed that they took the wrong boy home?" she gently probed. 

Alan said softly "No, I am grateful and that makes me sad, strange huh?"

"No, understanding considering the circumstances and the life Michael led." she told him.

"Still, I have considered talking to this nurse, Amy something about how she had made the mistake. I know it was busy that night but two boys, both blonds with similar injuries. Both not talking, I get it, I do but at the same time... at the same time I don't."

_ 

John saw Steven corralling his nephews into his sister's just past seven pm and chuckled at his frustrated glare at him. "Can you help?"

Looking at the usually well behaved boys who were whooping and running around their uncle and asked "What did you feed them?" 

"Edward did it." he announced. "They were playing doctor . Alan and Michael who showed up before dinner helped. They found an old medical kit someplace and Alan was wrapped up in elastic bandages when we found them." 

"That doesn't explain this." he said as Steven got the door unlocked and the boys in. 

"Edward while we were unwrapping mummy Alan took them to the kitchen. Put the whole cookie jar in front of them and let them have at it." he said then looking on as Cam buried his face in the sofa and fell asleep said "If anyone tells my sister about this, I will make them pay." 

The blond got Jake up the stairs, cleaned up and tucked into bed while John put Cam on his. Returning downstairs he sat across from Aidan in sort of netted cage that looked like a soft jail cell and said "So what are you in for?" 

Hearing a gentle knock then the door open, he greeted Patrick Drake who said to Steven as he came down the stairs "What happened at Morrisons. Robin just heard you were banned from shopping there?" 

"Don't ask and I won't have to lie." he snapped then looking at John said "Why are you here?" 

Snickering at the hair standing up, the rumbled clothes he said to Patrick "Do you know of any drug that has a sort of sweet scent to it. Someone was in my place last night, I felt a bit off when I woke up in the middle of the night then they took my watch and left me this." 

He showed them the black and white photo of him and his mother. 

"Nice frame, who are they?" asked Steven looking over his shoulder. 

"That is my mother and I. When I was about five." he said. "Drake?" 

"No, nothing I have ever heard of but what do you mean by sweet?" he asked leaning against the door. 

"I can't explain really but like sugar cookies and I don't know... maybe the smell you find on a baby." he said finishing a bit slowly as his confused mind tried to piece it together. "Like Aidan but not always." 

Seeing them looking at him like he was nuts, he said "I was here talking to Morgan one night and the kid wouldn't sleep, Elizabeth said something about giving him a bath then using lotion, that it normally worked." 

"Lavender." both men announced in unison. 

"Emma sometimes needs that too." said Patrick who then said "You would never use lavender in a drug though." 

"Maybe your burglar is using the lotion." said Steven. 

"Yes, my fifteenth floor penthouse was broken into by an insomniac baby." he replied dryly. 

"Women use it too, especially old women." said Steven helpfully with a grin. "So, Zachara piss off any granny's lately?" 

"Tracy Quartermaine, but I really doubt it was her." he retorted. Ignoring the unhelpful suggestions, he left while Patrick and Steven talked about Matt and Maxie. Looking at his wrist then cursing his missing watch, he drove to the mall. 

Putting a new one on his credit card, then seeing the girlie shop across the hallway was about to enter when they closed the door for the evening. At home, he carried the picture up from the car, set it back on the dresser before shucking his clothes to go to bed. 

With a sigh, he fell into an uneasy sleep never noticing the slight dip on the other side of the bed when getting more comfortable deep sleep came upon him. 

Jason was eager to leave the jet while his wife just shook her head in amusement at the bag he was carrying while the men waiting grabbed their luggage. "Jason, slow down, the boys will be in bed still." 

"That's fine, we can stick their presents next to them so they see them when they wake up." he replied as he urged her quickly into the car. 

Once seated, she gently stopped him from fastening her seat belt, pulled his head up for a kiss then said "Jason, I know you missed them, but trust me, they are fine." 

"Jake said he missed us." he insisted stubbornly as he turned the ignition key to head home the moment the men closed the back. 

Elizabeth couldn't believe they had come home three days early just because Jake had said he and his brothers missed them. She knew that Jason still had regrets about the time apart but she also knew they were going to have to talk about this. 

The separation anxiety had gone both ways. Jason had missed the boys as much as their parents had missed them. With a forth child soon to be added into the mix, they were in for a wild ride if they didn't face that it was okay to not always be together. 

AT the house, she smirked at the sight of her brother asleep on the sofa with a pillow under his head and a medical journal in his hands. "Should we wake him?" 

"No, let him sleep." said Jason as he got them out of their coats and up towards their room. Stopping to kiss each of the boys, placing the toys near them, Jason edged Elizabeth into their bedroom saying. "There is no reason we can't continue our honeymoon right here." 

Jax who had figured it out, decided to confront the woman as he got her address from his office and drove towards the beach. Knocking on the door, he was a bit worried when it opened and the maid who let him announce. "Would you be Senor Jacks?" 

Taking the note, cursing as he got that something had to set her off and while he was no longer as close to Alexis as he once was, decided she didn't deserve to be blind sided by what was about to happen. Calling the air port, he arranged for the jet to be readied, certain that since she was flying commercial he could arrive quicker on his private jet. 

Jax made a call to the station, then with a calculated move, called back to speak to his wife. He had decided she needed a reality check, going to Port Charles might just wake her up to the truth, he was the only one left who would ever help her. 

"I have a meeting in Port Charles, do you want to come with me? The rules would still be in affect, break them, and you know what happens." 

Carly debated then decided it was worth the risk, maybe she could get Jason to face that she still needed him in her life, that she hadn't meant to... no, that won't do. Not if Elizabeth Webber had gotten her claws in too deep. 

Working out the plan in her mind, smirking as she mentally heard Jason telling her to count to ten and think before doing things, she finally had it. She finally got her plan together. 

Twenty minutes later, when her mother-in-law and Lulu arrived she protested what Jane had to say. "My children go with me. We are going to be gone for a while, I don't want to be away from them for that long." 

Jax entered then said "No, Carly. We are only dropping something off, Do you really want to subject the children to two sixteen hour flights in one week." 

Annoyed he was ruining her plan, she started to say yes but then thought about it, if she protested too much he might leave her behind. After all once she convinced Jason to help her, he would insist that Jax return her children. 

When she saw Bobbie coming in from the small house she lived in out back, Carly wasn't happy to see her backing up Jax, so she just smiled and went to tell the men to load her luggage. 

"Carly we will only be gone a couple of days." Jax said when he saw the four bags and the carry on she was bringing. 

"I want to be prepared." she said with a straight face as they were soon ignoring each other on the long flight to the states. 

It was a little after six AM when John struggled to wake from the deep sleep he had fallen into. Stretching, he sniffed the air and once again realized the scent was back. Looking around, there was nothing different, no pictures in place of his watch, no odd notes, nothing at all different just the soft scent floating in the room. 

Thinking maybe it had nothing to do with the burglar, John reminded himself to ask the maid if she changed detergent or something as he went to shower and dress. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he walked into the closet and stopped. "What the hell?" 

Looking at the now obsessively neat organized closet that was now full of what he had had before but with new what looked like tailored suits, more casual clothes and when he opened his underwear drawer to find all new items inside he was now pissed. 

He had never liked boxers and that was all that was in there along with a note. "Supposedly if you let them breath, you are more likely to father children." 

A bit freaked out at why a burglar would leave a note like that and for some reason Lisa Niles floating through his brain he lifted the phone to call Mac Scorpio to report a break in, then stopped himself as he though about what the report would say. 

Swearing, he closed the drawer, drew on some jeans and to be obstinate, one of the nice new dress shirts before swearing when he saw the new socks as he pulled on some boots. 

Returning to his bedroom, he checked the french doors only to see they were locked, checked downstairs, everything was locked. Soon on his way out the door, John went back upstairs, grabbed one of the shirts and went to find out where they came from. 

AT the Morgan residence, Steven woke up, heading up the stairs to wake the boys for school when he heard moaning in his sister's room. Staring to enter, he released the door handle a bit freaked out to hear his sister's voice calling out Jason's name. 

Gently shaking Cam he saw the little boy looking at the toy in bed with him. "Uncle Steven did you get me this?" 

"No, I think it was your mom and dad, they arrived home last night." he said then stopped the schoolboy from running to greet his parents. "I was thinking we would wake your brothers and we could make them breakfast as a thanks, how does that sound?" 

Scurrying off as soon as he was dressed, Cam joined Jake who was trying to dress himself while Steven dressed Aidan. Amused at how much of a combination the toddler was of both of his brothers, he had them downstairs thankfully without any comments on the noises from their parents bedrooms. 

Slowly taking his time making the food while the boys played with their new motorcycles and in Aidan's case stuffed animal, Steven gave a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. 

"Daddy!" with that the two older boys tossed themselves at Jason while Aidan struggled with his high chair, demanding to be picked up. The tall blond freed him, hugging the other two at the same time. They thanked him for the toys and asked where Mommy was and why they had come home so early. 

"We missed you boys." he said then sat down with Aidan on his lap. 

"We are making you breakfast." said Jake pointing at his uncle "I helped I carried the vegetables for Uncle Steven." 

They heard their mother and both of the older boys rushed off to greet Elizabeth while Steven said "They were fine, you know, you over reacted to what Jake said." 

With a sheepish grin as he held onto Aidan's questing fingers Jason said "I know, but after all we have been through, can you blame me?" 

"No, I get it." he said. "Elizabeth emailed me about the plan regarding Aidan, are you sure you want to dig into this, we have no idea what we are going to find under that rock we are about kick over." 

"Yes." he said hugging his youngest son. "If something were to ever happen, I would rather have the medical facts." 

"Well I will take a sample from Elizabeth and the boys before I leave for the hospital." 

"The boys?" asked Jason. "Why would you need samples from Jake and Cam?" 

"To give me a baseline." he said. 

After breakfast, the Morgan family got ready to spend the day together while Steven took the swabs with him so that he could start the sample breakdowns. Jason meanwhile had his family dressed to be out in the winter weather. 

At the hotel, John checked in with Marty who informed him that Jax and his wife were coming into town for the week. "Make sure she remembers that she has no control of my hotel." 

The hotel manager then said "As you can see they got the painting done last evening. The contractor fixed the problems with the new flooring and the desks are set. They are going to put in the new computer system today. The florist called, she left a message to let you know that your picks regarding the fresh flowers would start tomorrow." 

Frowning, John pulled out his phone then called over to Campbells. Talking to the woman, then frowning at the walls as he found himself agreeing with what she had to say even if the message hadn't come from him. "When will they arrive?" 

Getting the answer, he hurried off to add that to his list of strange incidents. In his office, he was about to call one of his men to do some work for him when he heard his name being called. Seeing Maxie, he asked what he could do for her? 

"Kate wants to know if the spa is free tomorrow night?" she asked. "Marty said it was fine, but I used it as an excuse to stop and see you." 

Looking at the petite blond, he said "What do you need?" 

"Nothing, I just an excited about my article in Crimson and I knew I was driving Kate over the edge." she said with a shrug then added. "Plus, I heard from one of the designers we are using for the April issue mentioned having a big order for his tailor from Port Charles for a Mr. John Zachara and was curious as to what was up." 

"Nothing, I just ordered some suits." he said not adding he had had nothing to do with it. Getting the man's name, he quickly got rid of her only to call over seas to Italy where he was told the order came with his measurements and a cashier's check. 

John started to go through his messages soon convinced he was losing his mind as the painters said they had already gotten the samples, the men laying the carpets assured him they would get his emailed changes done. 

That sent him to his computer where he found all of his business emails taken care of, some flagged for his attention and even stranger a note telling him that lilies had been sent to his assistant who was in the hospital after giving birth. 

Tired of spinning his wheels, John left, heading over to Kelly's, wanting to forget about the mess for a while. A bowl of chili and a grilled cheese sandwich should help even if it was barely ten thirty. 

Arriving at the diner, he placed his order and was about to go wash his hands when he sniffed the air. Turning to the middle aged blond woman he asked "What is that scent?" 

"Clam chowder and I think that they are baking brownies today." she replied while he just told himself to get his thoughts under control. Returning to his table, he found the brown wrapped box and looked around. Not seeing anything suspicious, he opened it to find a key on a Tiffany marked JZ keyring. 

Maxie saw the proof of the article she had written for Crimson on Kate's desk just as her phone beeped. Seeing that it was a message from Georgie, she quickly opened the app to read it. "Okay, I can do that." she typed back then called over to talk to Robin. "I got a message from Georgie, she wants us to meet her next week here at the hotel." 

Robin checked her phone and told her cousin she had the same text. "What do you think is going on?" 

Jax meanwhile was reading the letter that the woman he now knew was from Sabine Antonivich and looked up when he heard Carly sigh yet again. "We will be landing in a half hour. You might want to freshen up." 

Carly went to the back, changed clothes, refreshed her makeup then sat down across from Jax. "What is your business here?" 

"None of your business. If you were truly a kind and or caring wife, I would explain but all you get. That woman I met for lunch, this is in regards to her." 

Her jaw snapping shut, Carly pulled out her cell phone, eager to call Jason the moment the plane was gliding down the runway. Jax watched out of the corner of his eye, then shaking his head went back to reading the letter then folding it said to his wife. 

"You should know, Mac could find no proof that you were responsible for the hit and run, but you should know, it is still an open investigation." 

"Why? I heard that it wasn't Jake and that that he was back home with his bitch of a mother." she snapped. 

"Carly, a kid still died." he pointed out. "Then there is obstruction of justice in regards to making it look like Luke did it. That is what I don't get, you set up your own uncle." 

"Luke is nothing, at least not to me." she tossed out there. 

Hearing the sound of the jet landing, then coming to a halt, Jax got the passports ready, then warned Carly one last time. "Remember, once misstep and you lose what you have." 

Not worried certain that by now, Jason would have calmed down, she left the jet in front of him and hit speed dial one on the cell phone. Getting a message that the number was no longer in service, she tried the penthouse only for the number to transfer to voice mail. 

"Hi, it me. We are in town, hopefully by now, you will have forgiven me. Please, I need to speak to you. I love you." she said. "It is important we talk about your brother." 

Jax was happy when he heard what she was saying, unaware that it wasn't Michael she was leaving the message for. Putting Carly in the first limo, he nodded at the driver doubling as a bodyguard/spy then went to get into the second. 

At the Quartermaine house earlier that morning for a requested meeting by Carly's real son, Alexis had talked to Alan and Michael while Molly had gone to school driven by Edward who had been amused at her interest in the chauffeur driven Bentley. 

Alexis answered Alan's questions, handed over the original copy of her custody hearing back when Carly was still gone and asked if both of the young men had the time to answer a few of her questions. As she finally got the low down on his relationship with Abby, and her daughter's true part in it, the attorney was appalled at Sam's lack of sense. 

At the office, she heard from Diane who said that Jasper Jacks had called and requested she be at the meeting with them. It was the first real contact outside of the courthouse she had had with her former partner since Sam had been arrested. 

Agreeing to meet at the hotel, she hurried over, grimacing as she drove through the slush as the snow melted. Seeing the holiday decorations, she reminded herself of Molly's request for a Christmas tree early that year. 

Carly was on her way to the diner, needing to talk to Jason when she saw the new sign on her hotel. Hissing in annoyance, but deciding to deal with that later, she waited until the driver let her out then told him to stay with the car. 

Nodding, he didn't let her know that her husband had others watching her as well as him as guard number two picked her up at the door. On the phone as she entered, ignoring the no cell phones sign on the door, she seated herself as she called back to Australia. 

"Momma, you won't believe it, the new owners but up this horrid sign in front of my hotel. Then they took out the planters, it is just terrible." Seeing someone trying to get her attention, she said "I will have to call you back, momma, someone is being rude." 

Hanging up, she looked at the woman and snapped "What?" 

"There is no cell phone usage inside of the diner. There is a sign on the door and for those who can't read there are signs on the menu with pictures." she pointed out. 

"What kind of stupid idiot makes a rule like that." she sneered. 

"This stupid idiot, I am the owner, Catherine Rappaport." she announce. "You are more than welcome to leave if you don't like my rules." 

Carly huffed, then slammed her cell phone down on the table the said "I would like a cup of coffee." 

Carly stood, walked towards the bathrooms with her phone then snapped "If it wouldn't be too much of a bother." 

Turning over the cup, the blond filled it then walked back to her counter just in time to see Mike Corbin entering. The man had clearly seen better days but it was also true he had made an attempt to clean himself up a bit. 

"I want to talk to you abut getting my old job back." he said. 

"Your old job?" she asked. Hearing how he had run the place for Bobbie Jones, she said "I no longer have that position available. I run my own place and don't need help. You could try the diner down on Courtland street." 

"No, that is owned by someone I owe money to." he stated. 

"The Recovery room then?" she asked naming the small diner that used to be a hang out for the interns at GH. 

"I want to work here at Kelly's." he insisted. "Do you know who Jason Morgan is, I am sure he would greatly appreciate you hiring me." 

"Mr. Corbin, you are a drunk and have a gambling problem. I have no intention of letting you bring down the good aura I have in my place. I know what you tried with Kristina, how you actually wanted a teenager to give you money, after learning that your other grandson's father is dead." 

Flushing because he had been shocked to hear that Nik was dead, that Laura Spencer had custody of his son. Seeing the blond coming from the back, he called out to her. "Carly, thank god." 

Turning she sighed then told the woman she would buy Mike something to eat. When he was across from her, she asked him about town, about how he was doing then when he told her he was looking for a job and that no one would hire him, she said "What did Jason say about that?" 

Making sure that the blond behind the counter couldn't hear he poured out his tale of whoa. "Jason said I was on my own. That he had wasted enough of his time on Sonny and the mess his life was while he was alive. Suggested I get help for my drinking then told me I was to fault for how my life is." 

"Mike, I am expecting him any moment, let me talk to him." she said. Pulling out her wallet, stopping when she saw she only had a ten in American dollars, said "Meet me at the bank around two, I will get you some money to tide you over." 

After he had left, Carly looked at her cell phone to check the time, an hour later, she frowned then tried the penthouse again certain by now he had to be living back there. Another hour passed and Carly saw her son approaching. "Michael?"

"Carly." he said walking around her to the counter and asked Catherine. "I put in a take out order, is it ready by any chance?" 

"Let me check." she said smiling as she asked if he wanted something hot to drink? 

"No, I just had hot cocoa with Alan and the Morgans." he replied quietly with a nod towards the blond. "How long has she been here?" 

"Since about noon." she replied. Then went to get his food. When he had paid, then was on his way out the door, he stopped to say "Carly if you are waiting for Uncle Jason, it will be a long wait. He went home about twenty minutes ago." 

"I am your mother, don't you forget that." she hissed at the way he said her first name. Then tossing down the money, she went to the Towers. Banging on Jason's door, she was annoyed to discover he wasn't there. 

"Would you cut it out." announced the guard standing in front of John Zachara's door. "Why are you banging on an empty penthouse door anyhow?" 

"When did he leave?" she spat out. 

"Who?" asked the guard. "My boss, that is none of your business. If you mean the man who used to live there, I have never seen him." 

Flouncing to the elevator, she decided to go to the hotel, then try calling around to locate Jason since her phone was almost dead. 

Meanwhile at the hotel, Jax entered the room where Alexis and Diane were sitting. "Thank you for meeting me." 

"Jax what is going on, first you want me on the first flight to Sydney then you tell me not to bother. What did Carly do now?" asked Alexis. 

"Nothing like that. I need to tell the two of you about a letter I received from a woman I had been doing business with." he stated then getting comfortable said "Let me tell you about her background. Her name was Sabine Antonivich, her father was a big wig in the old Soviet regime. One who made good after the cold war ended." 

"She was sent to the finest boarding schools, went to the American University in Moscow with a degree in International Finance. While in South America she met a man, fell in love with him. Alexis you know him. Juan Santiago, Lily Rivera's son." 

Seeing her nod at what he said he continued. "Juan, it turns out had connected with his grandfather's family after his music career didn't do so well. Diane, Sonny's big break, was marrying Lily and getting her father's share of the business." 

"Anyhow, they convinced Juan that he had been kept from them, next thing you know, he was running what was left of their business. He stayed south, but built it into one of the bigger cartels. According to her letter, when AJ sold Jason, Juan bought him with the intention of killing him." 

"Why would he do that?" asked Alexis. "Juan never got involved when he was here." 

"I don't know, I only know what Sabine wrote. Anyhow, he blamed Jason for his losing Emily like his cheating had nothing to do with it. We don't know why he didn't kill him but six months later, the Cassadines floated an offer for him, how they knew, I have no idea." 

Alexis gasped at this. "Why would Helena want Jason?" 

"I don't know but Nik found out and tossed Jason into some bunker on the compound." said Jax. "Things went along then Juan I gather found out about Rebecca, Emily's twin. They met, he cheated and Sabine sold him out. Juan was killed along with Rebecca." 

"Sabine decided to come here and deal with her own demons but got distracted by finding Jason Morgan here. She started looking into things, then found what was going on. She was the one behind Elizabeth finding out what Stefan did. She found Alan Quartermaine and sent them after him. Turns out she was checking into Franco, turns out he was born Frank Bobby Baker, son of Tom Baker." 

Gasping since she had been looking into Tom Baker for Jason, Diane said "My god." 

"She wrote in her letter, she found him sniffing around after the supposed death of Jake Morgan. Tracked it back, he was the one who switched the boy, but before she could prevent it, Jake was gone. She held Franco and moved on to her next mess." 

"Anthony Zachara was skulking around and thanks to something Trevor Lansing had done, he knew who she was so she grabbed him too. Then she saw AJ meeting with the man giving him the papers to flee town and he ended up her prisoner as well." 

"There is something else, she sent Sonny a ransom demand, after letting him think she had the real Jason Morgan. He paid up, she sent him a note saying she didn't really have him but thanks for the donation. At the same time, she had Jason Morgan's assets frozen but I will explain why later." 

"Who is this woman?" asked Alexis. "Why would she do this?" 

"Let me continue with how she writes this. Then she sees Helena after the woman had had a few visits to your house. Grabs her but likes how Helena made you nervous so she keeps up the threats in Helena's name." 

Now Alexis was furious, but it only got worse. "She figured out Morgan, the real Morgan wasn't the man she was holding and tracked back some stuff, that is how she describes it, stuff. And then Sonny was arrested, worried about the ransom money leading to her, she killed Helena, Franco and Zachara. Then had her men open Morgan's cell door before leaving." 

"We all know what happened after that, Jason aka AJ went to jail. She watched, debating then left town and moved to Hong Kong. Came to Sydney to see her doctor; she has lung cancer." 

"She met with me and gave me a key to a bank box, then went to her hotel and took off. Left a note stating why. Turns out she saw that I had figured out her secret and she had changed her mind, she wanted to deal with things herself." 

Jax handed Alexis the letter, it was short and to the point. 

_Alexis,_

_I am your daughter. Yes, this isn't a joke. Trevor Lansing sold me to my parents who needed a child. By now, Jasper Jacks will have run DNA tests to prove this. When I came to town, I was so eager to meet you. Then I saw you, being an apologist for that woman you thought was your daughter, I saw you lie, cheat, steal and bend the law for her. That wasn't what I wanted so I left.  
><em> 

___I am sure that at some point you were an honest upstanding citizen but like me you were corrupted by your own hubris. Well I am paying for mine, someday you will pay for yours. Your younger daughters, they are going to learn that you don't hang the moon, they will learn of your lies, your manipulations and someday they are going to be just like Sam.  
><em> 

_Alexis, you reap what you sow, and you are a hypocrite who thinks you are smarter than everyone around you. So how were you conned by a small brained, low life whore like Sam McCall."  
><em> 

_Sabine Antonivich_. 

"This, this is a bunch of lies." she said her hands shaking. 

NO, Alexis, it isn't." said Jax. "I ran DNA tests, they prove she is telling the truth, I don't know how Sam's came back as her being your daughter... but-" 

"I never ran any." she muttered then a little louder confessed the truth. Jax just shook his head then added. "I will be in town for a few days, but Alexis, she is right. You were a fool, but then Morgan was too." 

Diane left soon afterwords, heading to the Morgan residence. Seeing Elizabeth and Jason getting the boys ready for dinner she said she needed to speak to him for a few moments. Jason listened then said "So Sam isn't Alexis' kid?" 

"It looks like a good possibility." she replied. "Alexis is in denial." 

Jason went back to the kitchen and softly told Elizabeth the news. "Wow, that has to be shocking for her." 

"I would think it would be a relief. Alexis never cared for Sam before being told she was her daughter. I think that is why she over compensated so much when it came to Sam's mistakes." said Jason thoughtfully. 

Sabine was being escorted to her room by the bell boy liking the changes to the hotel, including dropping the last half to only be called Metro. It was now sleek and modern, yet comfortable. 

Looking at the paperwork, she gave a cold grin then debated did she want to confront her mother before or after publicly humiliating her in the newspapers. Since she was sure that by now, Jasper Jacks would have returned to warn Alexis, being the kind of person he was, she went for humiliation. 

After speaking to the reporter, she went to rest, knowing her time left on this earth was limited. She wanted to be a show of strength when she face the woman whose choices had caused so much grief over the years. 

John finally accepted that he had to look into things, that the last thing he needed was a stalker, even one that was pretty much making his life easier. Returning to the mall he saw the same soap store, entered and said "I am looking for a scent, its sort of sugar

cookies and lavender." 

The helpful sales girl showed him everything that had lavender in it then when she had exhausted every thing she had frowned then said "There is a new scent that kind of smells sweet like that... you should know, it's dreadfully expensive though." 

Reaching the Macy's store five minutes before closing he asked about the perfume, only to be told they don't carry it. "It has only one distributor here in the states. Lush in New York City. Its a Swiss perfume, about 200 dollars for a bottle." 

"Thanks." he said then grabbing a random bottle paid for it since she had been so helpful. Thinking on who he knew that might know something, two names popped up, Maxie and her boss, deciding that Maxie was the better bet, he called the blond who said she would meet him at the hotel. 

"What's up?" he asked her when she came in all cheerful. "I saw you coming from your office earlier looking like hell." 

"Well Matt got a job in Paris, which made me upset then I heard from my sister. She let me know she would stop in to see me in a couple of weeks that there was something she had to get the answer to but that she had to come to town to talk to you, so what is going on?" 

Blinking as he got she didn't know what his father had done, he said he didn't know then asked her about the perfume. "I don't know, I mean I can ask Kate but lavender and cookies? Why would anyone want a perfume like that?" 

"That is the only way I have to describe it, the lavender is the most definite part, but the cookies... well it reminded me of Kelly's from several years ago." he said getting that he sounded insane. "The woman said it is only carried through one store in the city." 

Maxie thought he was nuts but made the call only to be told the name. "Thanks, I will remember this." 

Turning to John with a suspicious look she said "They imported it on behalf of a customer, that they only sold a case, all to the same person. To your father, John." 

"Why would my father buy a..." Case of perfume. John didn't have any idea of what was going on here but he knew where to start looking. Crimson Point and at their family accountants. "Maxie, thanks. I have no idea what is going on, but you have finally given me a clue I can follow." 

At the old monstrosity, he made plans to start tearing the rooms apart, slowly getting rid of the old life he wanted to shed as he entered the office. Calling over, he got the files brought over to him as he made himself a pot of coffee then had another thought. 

Heading up the stairs and into the one room he had never entered, John found that his father had ordered his room stripped bare. Back in the kitchen, he found his cell phone buzzing and upon answering it was told "Sir, we are missing one of the cars you dad bought before going to jail. The Land Rover is missing. The title too." 

Thanking them, John started to delve into his father's financial dealings. Finding no evidence of any purchases while the old man was in prison and knowing that to be wrong, he went to check bank withdrawals. 

Sure enough, his father had taken out over a million dollars in unexplained funds, not including the money for the hit-woman he had arranged for and then killed when she had betrayed him. 

Since this was getting him nowhere, John drove to GH and asked to speak to Steven Webber. "Zachara. He is down in the lab." 

Nodding at Patrick Drake who had then gone back to his medical chart, John followed directions from a pretty young nurse who had made it clear she was available, soon finding the blond hunched over a microscope. "Ahem." 

Standing up, then turning to greet the mobster, Steven said "Running some tests for my sister. What is up? Still being bothered by angry grannys?" 

"No, look, I uh, do you still have government connections?" he asked rubbing the back of his neck. "My father withdrew a huge some of money and I need to track it down." 

"No, not that would know what your dad was up to. What about Scorpio?" 

"After Lisa Niles, I really doubt Mac Scorpio is going to care too much that I have a stalker." he said. "And to be honest, I don't know that I do. I don't know that this isn't something my father set up before his dead. None of this makes any sense. I mean other than the clothes, and a few other things which can be explained away... all I have as proof is that all of the sudden I am sleeping well after a lifetime of nightmares and interrupted sleep. Yeah, he is really going to work hard to get this case solved." 

Carly had been annoyed when Marty had told her if she didn't like the new décor to take it up with the owners, looking around at the gray tones, the woods, the small displays of flowers, and said "What happened to my chandeliers?" 

"Mrs. Jacks, I no longer answer to you." he said. "Now do you want your key?" 

Frowning she said "I want the owners suite." 

"Ma'am, the owner doesn't let us rent out that suite. The Presidential suite is full and all we have available are the unrenovated club suites." he stated. "Mr. Jacks was perfectly fine with it."

Muttering the whole trip up, she didn't bother to tip the bell boy, then shut the door in his face. She hadn't been able to locate Jason, had instead been told the terrible news that he had married that bitch Elizabeth Webber and had adopted her brats. 

After paying off Mike's loan shark, she had warned the man off of Mike, by using Jason's name only to be laughed at and told that Mr. Morgan himself had sent out the word that Mike was on his own. 

Suggesting Mike get help, she gave him another twenty grand, then had driven to GH only to be told her ban was still in affect. The barista had told her that Mr. Morgan had moved his headquarters out of the office in back and that no, he didn't have a way to reach his boss. 

Knowing that Jax was talking to Alexis, Carly had gone through her whole contact list, none knew where Jason was or they weren't telling her. She had even in desperation tried Robin Scorpio only to be told that she would be sure to let her Uncle Mac know that Carly was in town. 

In her room, she called to check on the kids, then speaking to her mother got angry when Bobbie suggested she let the idea of Jason saving her go. After another round of fruitless calls, Carly climbed into bed, distinctly aware that Jax hadn't come to the room. 

Across town the next morning, the Port Charles Herald was being read. There were varied reactions to front page article. Smug amusement for some, pity for others and mainly disgust as all of Alexis Davis' crimes and moral lapses were laid bare for the whole world to see. 

Diane sighed, then went to her office, well aware that there wasn't a single lie anyplace in the article and that Alexis wouldn't be able to sue. Mac Scorpio was furious to realize that Alexis had committed several crimes and he had no proof he could arrest her on let alone that the DA could prosecute her on. 

Monica felt bad for the woman, well aware that her own life wouldn't really stand up to scrutiny yet after the damage her daughter had done to Jason, she felt a small bit of satisfaction as she read the whole article. 

Kristina was in Alan's arms, the tears flowing as she found out the truth, while Molly was saying that someone had told the reporters a bunch of lies. Ric had called, suggesting that Alexis send the girls to him after a former colleague had called him about what was going on. 

Alexis however was vacillating between rage, shame and having a pity party for herself. From her part in the attempted murder of Katherine Belle, to her getting off scott free for killing Luis Alcazar, the times she had covered up for Sam and Ric. 

The way she had been responsible for Luke Spencer not being in jail several times, the way Sonny had supposedly skated while she was DA. They were even questioning why she hadn't been prosecuted for the hit and run of Kristina's ex boyfriend. 

That was one article, a sidebar to the one that actually was causing her pain. It detailed how she had been a teenage mother, how she had had all that time to search out the truth about her child. How she had accepted Sam's word, without any proof. How she had been played for a fool, over and over again. 

Seeing the large color photo, the heart shaped face, the hair color that looked as if it was the exact same shade as hers. It couldn't have been clearer that this woman, this Sabine was her true child even without the DNA test results that were shown below the fold. 

Yet, if this Sabine was her daughter, how could she do this to her own mother, to her sisters. Alexis would now be the laughing talk of the town, if she didn't end up in jail. Her sisters, were going to have to live with the various truths coming out. 

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Alexis saw the pity in Jax's eyes and said "Is that what last night was about, our sleeping together, did you do it because you felt pity for me?" 

Jax sat down across from Alexis, then said "No, I meant what I said. I have always wondered and to a certain extent it was about screwing with Carly. We both know you were thinking about that too when we went to bed together." 

Sabine had watched, waiting as the girls left, then gave Alexis time to read the newspaper. An hour later, she knocked on the door of the Lake House, waited then saw her mother coming to the door. 

"Alexis Davis?" she said then with a cold smirk announced "Hello, I am your daughter, Sabine." 

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_Catch me if you Can_

_Chapter Two_

Alexis looked into the eyes in front of her, eyes that were identical to her own. "Sabine, why? Why would you do this to me? To your sister's?"

Standing on the threshold, Sabine looked at her mother then said "Well let's see, jealousy, yeah, there is a sense of how can she not look for me then have two more kids. Anger, yeah, I am angry, bitterly angry at how you just accept that bitch, how you did everything for a woman, a woman like that without any proof she was your child."

"S-sam had proof, letters." she said with a sad sigh as she looked at the angry young woman in front of her. "I found proof as well, things just lined up. Then there was Nik, his blood saved her, her daughter's saved your sisters."

Jax slipped off to finish getting dressed, leaving the two women to talk without witnesses. He understood both points of view. Sabine's anger and Alexis' feelings of betrayal.

"Sabine, please come in." said Alexis, needing to talk to her, needing to make her understand that she hadn't abandoned her. "Jax, he told me about your life, about your mistakes, we can work together, make changes, make things better for you."

With a bitter laugh, Sabine said "No, I think I would prefer to stay here."

Alexis heard the anger and said "Why do you hate me so?"

"I don't hate you, I just pity you, you are nothing, your life started so good, then you tossed it away. First by working with Luke Spencer when you went after Helena Cassadine. What kind of woman is that foolish to believe that anything that man did would work. You deserved to be caught."

"How, how do you know about that?" she asked surprised yet again by Sabine having the knowledge she did.

"Spencer, he told his son, Ethan. Ethan sold the information for five thousand dollars. Then your life seemed to get back on track, you were the well noted attorney for Corinthos and Morgan, until you screwed up and had a one night stand with Sonny Corinthos himself."

Alexis lips pressed tightly together at the scorn in her daughter's tone. "Seriously, Corinthos, what were you that hard up? The man couldn't keep his zipper closed and he always, always went back to that blond tart who slept with her stepfather. Then when your sister died in that warehouse, you attacked him blamed Morgan and him, when in truth, what you were really angry about, was that Corinthos went back to his wife."

Alexis started to protest, then she met Sabine's eyes and stopped protesting as she admitted "You are partially right, but he still got my sister killed."

"So you what, got involved with his brother, a man who by that time had already held a pregnant woman hostage in a safe room while he was poisoning his own wife. How much of that mother dear, was about sticking it to Sonny?"

Wincing at the scorn she heard, Alexis said "Ric is a very charming man, he claimed to have made a mistake."

"Something you can't admit doing, can you? What you thought his wife, what was her name, oh, I remember, Elizabeth poisoned herself, that his affair with Faith Roscoe, what that was an accident? Or was it that because you didn't like Carly, you didn't give a shit she was held like she was?"

"Oh please, you have no idea, none what you are talking about." Alexis finally snapped, needing to get her own thoughts into the conversation. "Ric had lost a child, he made a mistake."

"So did Ms. Webber, I didn't read about her holding someone hostage. But then you had already gotten away with a murder yourself, after letting two innocent people go to trial for the crime." she tossed out there like the words were bullets.

"Your daughter Kristina almost died before you admitted the truth about who her father was, what, were you too embarrassed to admit you had a kid with the sleazy bastard? Yeah, my guess is that is why you kept quiet for so long."

"NO! I love my little girl, I didn't tell anyone because Sonny would have wanted to be in her life, and I couldn't allow that. He wouldn't have just..."

"He wouldn't have let you have total control, isn't that what you mean?" she sneered at her mother. "Then you got lucky, the male whore had yet another child on the way with yet another woman who wasn't his wife. Sam McCall."

"Then you had yet another daughter, Molly with Ric. You were playing happy families with him, using your job to keep Sonny away because of what, the danger, wasn't it? Yet Lansing was in bed with Lorenzo Alcazar, real safe daddy you chose, Alexis."

"You learn what Trevor Lansing wants you to learn about Sam, you throw open your arms, embrace her to your well admittedly lacking bosom." Snarled Sabine. "That is when things get real interesting, you are covering up her crimes, making excuse after excuse for her, even after she slept with your husband."

Alexis went from red to almost gray as Sabine kept speaking. "Hell even after learning what she did to Elizabeth Webber and her children, you still kept protecting her, you still blamed everyone else except dear ole Sammy for her mistakes, didn't you mother." she hissed as she moved in and sat down on the sofa.

"Jason hurt my daughter." she said then saw the glare from Sabine and amended her statement by saying, he hurt Sam.

"Your daughter fucked who she thought was her stepfather, what Morgan did after they had broke up that spring was none of her damn business." she pointed out.

"But weren't you by the way, the one who wanted them apart? Besides, Sam didn't go after Jason, after Elizabeth, she went after two innocent children, could have gotten them killed, yet what, Jason hurt her? Are you that stupid, that immoral you find that acceptable?"

Alexis had no answer as Sabine went through her past with Sam, tearing every single moment that Alexis had looked on as bonding between Sam and her apart, then looked at her mother and said "You are a lying hypocrite. When I came to town, when I figured out you were my mother; I had decided to turn over a new leaf, to make changes, to get away from the life that Juan had created for us."

"Yet, you call me a hypocrite." snapped Alexis. "Juan became a mobster, you have openly admitted knowing he held Jason Morgan hostage, that he sold him."

"Yes, see the difference is I admit to my sins, I don't hide behind my office, my law degree." Seeing Alexis frown, she said caustically, "Yes mother, I have a law degree. My adopted parents paid for me to attend George Washington University while they were on a diplomatic assignment in Washington."

"Never used it, my parents died and I went on a sabbatical, it's where I met Juan, but yes, I am a licensed attorney."

Alexis felt an odd combination of pride and anger at the woman in front of her who added. "I just came here, because I wanted to face you, to have you look at the child you didn't bother to find, then I would love for you to compare me to the woman you accepted as yours."

Alexis said "There is no comparison. Sam is a convict, she is in jail for the rest of her natural life. You, you could do anything you wanted with your life."

"Yup, I could. But see, I am dying. I have an aggressive cancer, eating my body. Something that if you had bothered to look for me, I might have been tested for sooner. Instead, well I won't live out the month."

With that, Sabine walked out the front door, leaving her shell shocked mother alone in the living room of the Lake house. By the time Alexis came back to rational thought, she could only stare at the now closed door, tears flowing as she got that her shame, her inaction had cost her so much.

Crying as she stumbled to her bedroom, to where she kept the photos of her children, she lit a fire in the fire place and fed the ones of Sam into the flames. Coming to the end of the album, she sat there on the floor, ashamed of her past actions, of how she had done all that she had. Sabine's scorn eating at her very soul.

Jason woke up at the bottom of the pile of people on Elizabeth's bed. Jake's elbow was resting into his side, Cam was curled up on top of him while Aidan was curled up top of the woman asleep next to him. When the toddler, snuggled closer to his mom, Jason reached out and ran his hands over his head. "Humph."

With a soft giggle, Elizabeth lifted her head and said "We need a bigger bed."

"What happened that we ended up with all this company?" he asked.

"Plow truck, early this morning." she said. "I woke up, went downstairs to check the weather. Not a lot fell at least snow wise. You might need to read the paper. Alexis had quite the shock this morning. A certain person isn't her daughter and her real daughter told her story to the Port Charles Herald."

"Did you read it?" he asked softly amazed at how heavily the boys slept on.

"Yes, its interesting, but leaves open whether Sam knew the truth, it's clear that Trevor Lansing did." Turning her eyes to meet the chocolate brown ones now awake on Jason she said "What do you say oatmeal or cream of wheat before we go and drag daddy outside to play again today?"

"Cinnnammmonnn and brown sugar." said the excited little boy as he slid off Jason then reached over to wake Jake. "Jakie, c'mon gotta wake up. Mommy is threatening us with cream of wheat again."

The blond head popped up, looked at his brother with fearful eyes, then placed his elbow in his daddy's stomach as he rushed to get off the bed and dressed muttering about the idea of cream of wheat.

Elizabeth was laughing while Jason just looked at her confused as he heard the boys padding down the hallway to get into the clothes laid out the night before. "What just happened here?"

With a slightly more somber expression, Elizabeth explained. "Dad used to do that to us kids, Steven and I were not morning people at the best of times, but the threat of cream of wheat, not only got us out of bed without a fuss but to eat the oatmeal since we couldn't stand cream of wheat."

"I started it with the boys by accident one morning when I was in a hurry." she said. "I had forgotten to pick up their cereal at the store, they didn't want to get up so early since Cam didn't have school until noon that day but I still had to go to GH. What they haven't noticed is that it is the same cream of wheat box I used to torment them three years ago."

Jason lifted Aidan, carrying his son back to his bed, then went to get dressed, his mind on all the things he had figured out he had left on Elizabeth, even before he had been kidnapped. The day to day living, raising the boys was only the largest part of it. Downstairs he saw the boys eating breakfast, the slightly gray color of the mash making him wonder about it only to hear Elizabeth whispering in his ear. "Jason, it is very healthy for them."

Hearing the phone ringing, Jason quickly grabbed it so as to not admit how unattractive the food was. "Morgan residence."

"Jason, it's Monica. I was just calling to remind you that Steven was supposed to be bringing the boys over to be photographed by Alan today."

"We promised the boys they could go sliding." he confessed. "I think both of us forgot about it."

"Then just bring them over, they can go sliding down the hill here. Then we will get them ready for the pictures here." she offered. "We already have sleds, this will stop Edward from complaining. He wasn't too thrilled you came back early, the boys were supposed to have movie night here last night."

"Jake said he missed us." he offered as an explanation, well aware how nuts that sounded.

"You are parents, it is perfectly normal, considering everything you have gone through, but since Audrey spent time with the boys and Edward hasn't been allowed to because of the cookie jar incident, he thought he was in trouble."

Jason agreed, then asked "What cookie jar incident?"

Groaning in amusement as he heard about Mummy Alan, Edward and the cookies jar and how Steven Webber had taken three hyped up boys to the produce department at Morrisons and was now banned, Jason hung up the phone. "That was Monica."

There was silence from the boys, Elizabeth who was getting a cup of tea, turned looking between the guilty looks on her children's faces and the clear struggle not to smile on Jason's and asked "What is it?"

Cam stuttered as he suddenly became a fountain of information about playing doctor, about a cookie eating race, about wanting grapes and eating them before asking the cashier to ring them up. How she had threatened to call the cops when Cam had handed her an empty bag. How Uncle Steven hadn't liked her calling them heathens, how he had been ordered to leave the store.

"Anyhows, Mommy. You always buy us a bag." he pointed out.

Elizabeth groaned, her head hitting the counter. Her own habits had bitten her brother on the butt. "Cam, I always pay the cashier first."

His lip trembling, Cam said "I didn't know that. She was mean though."

Hugging him, then her eyes meeting Jason's she said "Well we for now on will just go to the other grocery store."

Perking up, Cam said "The one that gives away free bites?"

Elizabeth had stopped going there because the boys would try things without her being aware, but clearly that was going to be their only choice for now on. "Yes."

Reminding the boys they had to each bring their favorite toy to Grandpa Alan's studio, Cam and Jake rushed off while Elizabeth grabbed Aidan's well worn bear. Jason lifted the paper, read it, and winced on Alexis' behalf, that had to sting.

"Daddy's we have to get our sleds." said Cam tugging at Jason's hand.

"They have lots and lots of sled your grandmother was going to get them ready for you." he announced then was dragged out to the truck so the boys could 'clear' off the snow.

John woke up from his very erotic dream, aroused and knowing that his vow of celibacy was starting to get to him. As he stretched, then licked his lips, the dryness in the air making them feel cracked a bit.

Frowning at the slight vanilla flavor, he tossed back the blankets, then hurried to shower to relieve the pressure that was building up, he quickly finished then turned the taps for icy cold water.. Soon reaching into the medicine cabinet for his shaving cream, he saw the small stick container and lifted it. "Vanilla flavored hydrating lip oil."

Reminded of his cracked lips, then the flavoring, John tossed it back into the cabinet, shaved and went to get dressed. Feeling a slight cold draft when he returned to the bedroom, he went to the balcony and saw it had been swept or shoveled. "Who are you and why are you doing this?"

Returning to grab clothes, he once again ignored the suits and went for jeans. Opening the underwear drawer with a grimace as he recalled he still hadn't gotten anything to replace the boxers, he swore when he saw the boxer briefs and a note asking if these were better.

Dressed in the jeans, tailored dress shirt and grabbing some shoes, he went downstairs to what he knew he would find. The coffee pot was ready, freshly made hot coffee, in the fridge, he saw the groceries his guard had told him were delivered the day before.

Reaching for an apple, he poured himself the bran cereal, ate, left for the hotel, frowning as he admitted to himself that he was getting too complacent about this person who had invaded his life. At the hotel, he took a short cut, wanting to avoid Carly Jacks who had left repeated messages with Marty about wanting to talk to him, as he hurried into his office.

Stopping in shock at the door, he saw the changes, then stepped inside, lifting his phone. "Sir, I need to speak to you about a crime. Could you please come to the Metro."

Mac grimaced as he escaped from a ranting Carly who had cornered him in the lobby and demanded he do something about the changes, he had only pointed out she was no longer the owner so there was nothing that could be done.

Calling down to the station he asked his desk sergeant to open the file of the John Doe hit and run and to have the police pick up Carly Jacks from the Metro. Knocking on the office with the discreet sign with John's name, he heard himself being told to enter and did so.

"Zachara, what is going on?"

The frustrated man said "My groceries are being purchased, my laundry is being done, new clothes were purchased. My e-mails are getting answered, the contractor are being told what to do for the hotel, and then I got this..."

Taking the phone being thrust at him, Mac blinked "This is a text reminding you to get a flu shoot. John, that isn't a crime. Why are you wasting my time with this nonsense."

"These... these clothes, I didn't order them." he said shoving the dress shirt in his small wardrobe at the police officer. "I would never buy oatmeal, I hate it, there are apples and fruit at my house. I have lip oil in my medicine cabinet, then there is the fact I am sleeping well all the sudden after years of nightmares. You have to do something, I can't take it much longer."

By now convinced something was up, even if he didn't understand Mac said "What am I supposed to do? I need to know what crime was committed Zachara and you not having nightmares isn't a crime unless you are being drugged."

Frustrated, the Italian mumbled about lavender and sugar cookies before admitting that he wasn't being drugged. "Steven Webber tested my blood, there is nothing in it."

John's phone rang, picking it up, he listened then after audibly counting to ten he thanked the person then hung up. "See, this is what I am talking about. Now, they are making dentist appointments for me. Mac, you have to do something about this person."

"Who is it, do you at least have an idea?"

"I think it is a woman." he muttered about the boxers and the notes. "I don't want them to go to jail, I just want them to stop. I mean, I don't really want them to stop, just ask me before arranging my life. I mean it's weird thinking there is someone out there who knows me so well. I mean..."

"Zachara, just what do you mean." asked a now amused Mac as the kid went on and on about how someone had taken to arranging for his life to be easier but how he hated not knowing who it was. "Is there anything else you can tell me about your stalker?"

"Not without sounding crazy." he admitted.

"Don't let that stop you, I am already concerned about you sanity." retorted the man, ignoring the glare from the hotelier. "What is it?"

"I think that it is a separate incident but someone stole my watch the night after the Morgan wedding and left a picture of my mother holding me at her piano. They managed to get into my penthouse from the roof." he admitted, distracted in part by what else he wasn't telling the man, he missed seeing the startled expression on Mac's face as he quickly stood and told John he would look into it.

When Mac had left, John sighed then reminded himself of why he had decided against sex, his erotic dreams were now showing up as full color daydreams as he leaned back to relax for a moment.

Hearing the banging on the door, his daydream fulled arousal faded as Carly Jacks stormed in and shouted at him about the changes. "And what gives you the right to change the name of the hotel. It is the Metrocourt, not the Metro."

"Carly, get out of my office." he said annoyed. "I own the hotel, I get to decide on it's name."

"I don't like that, you need to change it back. This hotel was named in honor of my best friend, Courtney who lost her life giving birth. You can't just erase her presence away." she fumed.

"Carly, ownership papers say I can. Now, I am not going to sit here and debate this with you. If you have a problems take it up with your husband who sold this place to me. And one more thing, that little scene you created when you checked in yesterday, if it happens again you will be kicked out. You are a guest, you are no longer the owner, so your bad behavior won't be tolerated."

Standing, Carly stormed out as quickly as she entered. She wanted to scream and shout but Jax hadn't come back last night and she was almost certain that she knew where he was.

He had threatened to humiliate her if he found out she was chasing after Jason, and she wouldn't put it past some of the backstabbing lowlifes here in town to to have reported to him who she had been looking for. Like that bitch Robin Scorpio who couldn't keep her nose out of everyone else's business.

In her suite, she called down to the garage and ordered her car to be ready, determined to put an end to this nonsense. Just as she reached for her charged cell phone, her husband entered the room looking freshly showered. "Where have you been?"

"With Alexis." he said. Reaching for his briefcase, seeing the scratch marks where he was certain she had tried to pick it, he said "I have a board meeting at GH, stay out of trouble."

Gritting her teeth, she couldn't help holding the newspaper up and snapping. "Let me guess, you spent the whole night comforting her about this?"

"No, that didn't come up until this morning." he said then left, before adding. "You should know, Brenda is in town, stay away from her."

Carly puffed up in anger but had no one to vent it on as she left. Ordering her driver to take her to the coffee warehouse, she saw Maxie Jones and snapped "Tell your cousin I am going to make her pay."

Shrugging Carly off, Maxie turned to the two young blonds and said "Now do you understand?"

Serena looked at Carly then saw Dante entering and said "Stepmommy is on the war path."

Kissing his girlfriend and greeting her sister who was dating Michael, he said "Carly what are you doing in town?"

"What do you think?" she asked tossing down the paper. "Jax had to be here for this, I came so I could talk to Jason."

Then looking at the petite blond standing next to Dante her eyes narrowed as she thought the girl reminded her of someone and said "Who are you?"

"Serena." Carly just dismissed her at that point, missing the smirk as the girl continued. "Serena Baldwin."

When Carly heard the last name, she started shrieking at Dante about betraying his father by being involved with Scott's daughter just as Michael, Alan and a now calm Kristina entered. Michael hugged his own girlfriend and watched as the blond unraveled yet again in public. "What is her problem?"

"Something about my dad." said Cristina whose arm was wrenched back by Carly who rasped out wanting to know who she was. "Cristina Baldwin. Scott is my father too."

Carly tossed the water on the table at the two girls who just wiped it away while Michael called 911. Within minutes, Carly was under arrest and down at the station. After Mac got no where on the hit and run, he issued her an appearance ticket for the assault and ignored her protest.

Dante meanwhile had chided both girls, "Now that wasn't nice."

With a kiss, Serena said "Oh, you know you were enjoying watching her head explode."

Dante had been warned by Jason about how Scott would react to Michael and him dating the man's daughters. He hadn't been thrilled but both girls who had been raised by Lucy and Kevin not him, had minds of their own and Scott was still in Paris fighting Luke for Laura.

The two Baldwin girls supported Kristina who was telling them she had no idea about this Sabine. "I don't think Mom did either."

"How is Molly doing?" asked Cristina, she had met Molly a few times and the young girl while she had faced what Sam did, was still convinced that she had done it all because of her love for Jason.

"Not good. She left to stay with Ric, it's his year for Christmas. He invited me but I know my dating Alan still unnerves him." she said with a grimace. "He tries to act like it doesn't, tries to be supportive but I know it."

"I hate to admit it, but I have my appointment at GH today." said her boyfriend rubbing her shoulder. "Do you want to come over with me?"

"No, I will head to the diner, see if Catherine needs me at all this week." she said slightly hopeful. She loved the work, found it a challenge to try and remember what regulars ordered as they came in the door.

Jason and Elizabeth sat across from Steven who was grinning at them. "Why do you look so happy."

"Okay, first of all, you will be happy to know that all three boys are yours, Elizabeth." he offered up.

"Steven, I gave birth to them, I think I know that." she said dryly.

"Will you just let me do this my way." he tossed out then said "We know that Cam is Zander's biologically, and that only leaves Jake and Aidan. Who share the same father."

Stunned, she looked at Jason then at her brother and said "Wait, how?"

"Don't know, but that is what the tests proved. Jason, do you have any idea?"

"Not really." he said frowning. "Why would Helena use my sperm?"

"No idea, maybe to screw with Lucky but who knows." he said with a shrug. "Elizabeth what time is the board meeting?"

"Uh, one PM." she said shaken as she looked at Steven. "I don't understand this, are you sure?"

"Yes, I ran the tests five times. The dates match up to Jason being sold to Helena and Nik about the same time. I don't know what happened just that it did."

Hugging Jason, Elizabeth said "Aidan is your son. Wow."

Steven went back to his lab, then made a call. Telling Frisco Jones, he said "Why were you so interested?"

"Helena was playing deep games, I think that there is something missing in all of this. What I do know is that she was desperate for Nik to have another child, then when it became public about Elizabeth, she was sweating bullets. She cut off all contact with that nutty artist Franco all of the sudden."

"Could he have been the one to make sure Elizabeth had Jason's kid? And why?"

"I am not sure. I will add it to my list of things that don't add up about this case." he told the blond doctor. "My daughter is there in town, I received an e-mail from her letting me know. I think she knows more than she is telling."

Steven hung up, then went to Crimson hoping to talk to Maxie who was giving Kate her coffee and telling her what Carly had pulled. "Dr. Webber, may I help you?"

Nodding at the tall blond he said "I actually need a moment with Maxie, if she is free."

"Make it quick, Maxie and I have a lot to do to put our March issue to bed." she ordered then went into her office.

"Steven, what is it?" she asked the blond.

"Have you heard from your sister?" he asked a bit uneasy about the attraction he felt towards the blond. It had been growing but he just put it down to not seeing anyone right then.

"Yes, she is supposed to arrive this week. She wants to meet with Robin and I before talking to dad." she offered up. "Why? What is your interest in my sister?"

"Just some questions regarding what happened while she was without her memories." he said then hearing his phone ringing, asked her to have Georgie contact him.

Back at GH, he entered the board room as they settled in. "Maxie is at work."

"I know, this is about the nursing scholarship. Tracy would you share the news?" Elizabeth asked.

Tracy stood, then with a wide smile said "The auction is set for New Year Eve. The estimate is valued at almost ten million dollars."

There was some clapping and Jax thanking her for her hard work then Tracy frowned and said "There is one thing. We are missing a few pieces that Cassadine wrote were to be sold. They are of Mexican decent, but the bigger issue is that they have no providence."

"Do you think they were stolen?" asked Edward as she passed out the pictures.

"No, or rather, yes but I think the Cassadine family were the ones doing the stealing. The auctioneer said these pieces, their images and description match some reported stolen from a museum in Mexico City."

Hearing the murmurs, she said "What took so long was we verified the providence of every single other piece we offered up for sale. Elizabeth, Nik donated some paintings to GH after the fire. We can't find the papers for them and we might have a problem."

"What kind of a problem?" she asked with a sinking heart.

"Just this, there are some that Sonny donated as well, on behalf of himself. We don't have papers for them either. And Cassadine insured them, having supposedly had them authenticated but we have no paperwork proving that."

"What should we do?" she asked Jackson Montgomery who was the legal council.

"Take them down, notify the insurance company and then ask them to hire outside authenticators." he promptly suggested.

Tracy said grimly she would take care of it then looked at Elizabeth. "I have to talk to Laura, would you care to do it?"

"Yes, if there is a problem, she can scream at me. When will we be able to get this done?" Hearing that they would be able to have it expedited. That the Insurance company would insist, she went to the hub and back to work.

Jax meanwhile had a meeting with Steven Webber regarding the cancer that Sabine had then drove back to Alexis house. Finding the attorney on the floor, curled up he forced her to stand. "You need to deal with this. Go see Sam, find out what she knew. Where is Molly?"

"Kristina put her on the plane to LA." she said her voice hollow as she went to dress. The long drive to Pentonville, she got her act together then was let in as Sam's attorney into a private room.

"Mother, did the appeal work?" she asked eagerly as she entered the room.

"No, this isn't about that." she said her eyes not meeting Sam's. "Sam, you are not my daughter, at least not biologically. Trevor set it up for it to look like you were."

The other woman in the orange jump suit sat down, then asked "Are you sure?"

"Yes, it changes nothing." she said with a sad smile. "I owe you, if I hadn't interfered in your life, who knows where you would be now."

"H-how is he?" she asked, her broken heart still not recovered from the games played by AJ Quartermaine. Her love for Jason was as strong as the day she had first told him, she knew that someday, he would figure out she was the only woman for him.

"Elizabeth and he are married." she said and felt bad for the woman who flinched, then knowing she had to tell her said "Rumors are, she is pregnant."

The tears slide down Sam's face as Alexis said "I left a package with some presents and put some money into your account. Sam, once again, I promise, I will get you out of here."

Alexis left, feeling guilty about her relief in knowing the sad mess locked behind those iron gates wasn't her real child. Thinking on Sabine, she found herself wanting to know more as she accepted the truth. She would save Sam, she owed it to the woman, but the forced love, that was gone. And she was certain that with proper medical care, her real daughter would be fine.

Answering her phone, she put it on speaker and listened to what Jax and Jackson Montgomery were telling her. "I will look through my files, but I am sure that Nik would no more steal anything than he would..." she started to say commit murder but then she stopped as she faced he already had tried.

Calling the hotel, she asked to be connected to Sabine's suite only to be told that the woman had requested no calls be put through. Driving over, she entered the lobby and stopped, amazed and delighted at the changes.

What had once been a gaudy and overblown hotel was now simple and elegant. Letting Marty know where she was, she asked him to pass on a message to her daughter as she avoided the stares, the glares and even a few smirks as she began to face how many people read the Port Charles Herald.

In the small antechamber, she made a few calls, then found there were no papers in regards to the paintings. Calling Diane, she had her check the files only to find they weren't at the former partnership office. With a feeling of foreboding, she called Jax and gave him the message just as she heard the shrill tone of Carly's shriek.

Entering the lobby in time to see Carly jerking flowers out of someone's hands, she was amused when two guards escorted her to the elevator while the staff whispered about the brash blond. Calling Jax back when moments later, the blond was escorted out the front door, he looked around with regret and said "Thanks for letting me know."

Carly was soon checked into a small boutique hotel on the edge of town as she made a dozen different calls, furious to find that no one wanted to hear from her. "Carly, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

Looking up at her husband she said "Did you know what was going on here? At the hotel, with the boys dating the trash they are seeing? That Scott Baldwin's bitch of a daughter has her hooks into Sonny's son?"

"A, we don't own the hotel and I think he has done wonders. It is finally what it should have been all along. Carly, who are you to call anyone trash and as for Serena, she is a wonderful young woman studying to be a doctor. What is there to object to?" asked Jax.

Carly silently fumed then stood. "I have to run out, where are you going to be tonight?"

"At my room at the Metro, John called to tell me that while you aren't welcome I can stay." he tossed out as he left. "Oh, and Carly. I talked to Jason Morgan about an hour ago, he says you are bothering the staff at the coffee shop and to stop coming there."

Carly waited until he left, then made a few calls. Hearing that Spinelli was locked up in a padded cell, she did a bit of detecting on her own and soon had the Morgan family's address. Frowning because it was the same small squat hovel Elizabeth had lived in while she was in town, Carly was drove over.

"Turn around, get back in your limo and leave." said Jason as he came onto the porch. He had just picked Cam up from school and had no intention of dealing with her.

"Jason, please, I have missed you. You know you forgave me already, It's what you do." she said pleading with him. "Please, I need you."

"Carly, I will call Mac in two seconds." he said as she went on about Jax cheating on her with Alexis, how he had sold her hotel to that bastard John Zachara, how she missed him, how the boys missed him. How he was her children's godfather and how they needed him to save them from Jax.

Dante and his partner pulled up silently behind Carly and got out of their car. "Jason, is this what the 911 call is about?"

"You promised me, you promised to listen to me." shouted Carly.

"Carly I gave you two seconds, you have been going on and on for almost fifteen minutes. I have heard nothing that I care about. You were told not to bother me, not to come to my family's home. Carly that promise I made, it was to Michael. He is an adult and you, you are finally no longer in my life."

"No, please, Jason. I need you, I love you. We have each others back." she said the tears flowing.

Jason looked at the sad woman in front of him and said "Carly, go away. There is nothing left for you. You have disrespected my wife, hurt my children, lied to my face. I owe you nothing and I don't love you. I never loved you like you wanted. You were a friend, at least I thought you were but in truth, you are lying to yourself and to me. Go back to Australia with Jax, accept what he has to offer you."

Carly looked between the detective with the cuffs, then Jason before getting into the backseat of her limo and ordering the man to take her back to her hotel. Calling to check on her kids, she was sobbing as she told her momma that too much had changed.

Mac finally got a chance to check the cameras on the buildings near Harborview Towers and was annoyed to find that none of them had an angle on the building. The traces he had put out led no where, the inquiries only came back to Zachara.

Letting the man know, he hung up, wondering what his daughter was up to, it had to be Georgie, only someone with WSB training could make things happen without any kind of trace.

John hung up, he had heard the news about Aidan being Jason's son, congratulated the man then went to his dentist appointment. Back home, he cooked dinner alone, his mind reeling around and around as he tried to figure out what was going on in his life. Pushing the full plate away, not really hungry, he decided to go to bed grimacing since it wasn't even seven o'clock.

The shadow picked the new improved lock, smirked at the pathetic attempt regarding security and quickly slid into the room. Going down the hall, knowing she had about an hour before he returned, she took her book on hotel management and went to room intending on heading to her secret hiding spot.

Freezing when she saw the body already lying in the bed, she got worried when she saw he was asleep. Concerned he was sick, she laid her hand against his face, relieved to notice he was cool like normal.

In the closet, she changed silently, then returned to the bedroom, turned on the music box she pulled out of her hiding place, then eased down onto the bed. Soon, with a sigh, she set the wrist watch for four AM and was soon fast asleep.

John woke up for a moment, not sure what had disturbed him, then relaxed at how safe he felt. Within moments he was fast asleep, his arms encircling the warm body next him, inhaling the by now ever present scent of lavender and soft piano music. 

Waking up feeling hungry, John was about to get up and go microwave the food he had cooked earlier when he noticed he wasn't alone. A bit wary, he looked over to his right and saw the beautiful young woman sleeping on his arm. "Well, well look whose been sleeping in my bed." 

The young woman just frowned, reached out and tucked the covers up over him then snuggled in close. Not sure if he should call the police or just wait for her to wake up so he could get his answers, all that was tossed out the window when she moaned his name and moved her leg on top of his body. 

Mentally screaming at himself to get back under control, it was soon tossed out the window when she leaned in to kiss him. As his very erotic fantasies came to life, John felt his cock stiffen and lost all sense of control as he got that he HADN'T been dreaming and that he had more than likely been making love to this woman over the last few nights. 

Leaning down to kiss her, he saw the brown eyes in the darkness just before he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. An hour later, exhausted, they were both fast asleep, Johnny wrapped around the woman who had rocked his world, determined to make sure she would be there when he woke up this time. 

Georgie woke up at four and grimaced when she realized that they had had sex again. Looking around, she frowned when she didn't find the boxers she had been borrowing as nightclothes since he refused to wear them. 

Looking at the watch face, then at the man stirring, she quickly rushed to the get dressed and leave before he woke up and found out that all of this was real. In her dark clothes, she reached for the music box and was heading towards the door. 

Stopping, looking back at the sleeping man in the darkness, she returned, gently kissed him before whispering thank you then left. Back in her small hotel room, she sighed as she showered, well aware that she wouldn't get any sleep. She hadn't slept more than four hours a night since Kevin Collins had forced her to face the truth about who she was. 

Thanks to the nights with John, she was now at least getting five or six hours, but she knew that eventually she was going to have to face him. That was one thing she wasn't sure she could do, after all what man would be interested in a woman who needed him like she did him? That she was odd, she accepted. That she was broken, she accepted but deep down, she wanted to be normal again. 

To have the ability to sleep through the night without imagined images of dead husbands and ghost babies. To have the ability to love again, that had been crushed first by what had happened in her admittedly disaster of a marriage and then by how easily she had been forgotten by those in Port Charles. 

Across the hall, Carly had called Lulu, getting the blond all riled up about Dante dating Serena Baldwin then offered to fly her home. There was silence then Lulu said "No, Carly. I won't go back. I can't. I may hate it but it is none of my business." 

Hanging up, certain that Lady Jane was rubbing off on her cousin, Carly went back to calling Jason's old voice mail and listening to the sound of his voice saying Morgan and that you know what to do. 

Elizabeth watched as Jason checked on the boys before returning with her early morning snack. "Elizabeth, isn't it a little early to be eating ice cream?" 

"Not that I have ever heard." she teased then when he had rejoined her, she said "Besides, it's not me that wanted it, it is your daughter." 

Looking at her slightly rounded stomach, he said "Really, because I haven't heard her announcing that. I think Mommy is using her sweet innocent daughter to get ice cream for breakfast." 

Moving in as if to kiss Jason, she wanted until he had moved closer than said "Prove it Morgan." 

When she went to pull back, he tugged her closer, kissing her then licking her lips saying. "Yum, butter pecan." 

"Daddy are you and Mommy eating ice cream for breakfast?" asked Cam from the doorway with a happy grin. 

Jason was stumped as to what to say then offered up Elizabeth's excuse regarding the baby only to see her shaking her head no, he didn't get it until Cam said as if trying to figure something out. "Daddy, since our little sister gets ice cream for breakfast, that mean we can too, right?" 

"Uhhhh, how about just this once." he said stuttering while Elizabeth started to laugh as she saw the shock on Jason's face at what had come out out of his own mouth and the excitement on Cam's. 

"You had better hope we have more ice cream." she said as he went to chase after his son who was waking up his younger brothers with the news before Jason could tell him any differently. 

Johnny woke up, feeling good then swearing as he got that he was once again alone. Then all that had happened came back to him, including what the young woman had looked like. Making a call, he ordered the man to meet him at his office, showered, found the note to use the lip oil and left for the hotel. 

An hour later, the composite artist for the state police left his office with an extra two hundred dollars as John propped up the likeness of his lover/stalker. "What was it you said Catch you if I could. I have what you look like, soon I will have you." 

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Catch me if You Can

Jason was talking on the phone, explaining to Elizabeth's grandmother why the three boys were so hyper as she took them shopping. Hearing the silence, he started to defend himself, saying that he hadn't meant to tell the boys they could have ice cream for breakfast, then telling her about Elizabeth and the new baby's desire for ice cream.

As the older woman gave a soft chuckle, he got that he had to have missed something only for her to say "For a man who supposedly doesn't speak a lot, Jason, you certainly offered up a lot of information. Now, as to why I called, did you get the list?"

Flushing a bit in embarrassment, he said "Yes, I tucked it into the inside pocket of Cam's coat."

Hanging up after thanking her for going with the boys, he turned when he heard footsteps. Seeing Elizabeth's brother standing there, he muttered "Thank god Audrey doesn't work for the Port Charles police department or I wouldn't be around to be with my family."

"She does have a way of making you confess to your crimes." he said ruefully then added "I was hoping you had a moment."

"Is there something wrong with the boys or Elizabeth?" he asked as they sat down. His eyes were on the medical file in front of Steven and was now worried.

"No, uh, this is Alexis' real daughter Sabine's file. I noticed a familiar looking anomaly in her blood test results and knew that I had to take a chance to speak to you. What do you know about the father of Alexis' child?"

"Nothing. She just told Sam it was a teenage romance gone bad." he replied frowning at even the name Sam.

"I think it was more than that and if I am going to treat Sabine, I need the information." he replied. "Alexis refused to give anyone any information when Sam was shot a few years ago, mainly because Nik's blood matched. I have done some looking into that as well. I now know who Sam really is."

"How and why would you care?" he asked bluntly.

"The way she treated my sister, I just felt I had to know who spawned this woman." he replied. "I am driving over to Pentonville to give her the information, it might help Sam let you go. I am more worried about Sabine Antonivich though."

"Why?"

"The anomaly, it shows her to be related to you." her offered then paused before adding "I ran my blood as well, but there is only a relation for the two of us."

Seeing Jason's shock, he asked "You did know that your biological mother and mine were cousins, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I was told my mother was an only child." he offered up.

"That is true, but now we know that Sabine's father is related to the Quartermaine side of you, I was hoping you might be able to get your dad to talk to me." he opined. "The only good thing, she isn't Alan's daughter."

"Oh god, thank god, Sam isn't Alexis's child, I would have been..." Jason's voice trailed off as he got that he would have been committing incest when he had been involved with that particular mistake in his life.

"Yes, well I did some checking, I know that Tracy and Alan have two illegitimate brothers. Ones who is dead, Justus' father. The other, a man by the name of Jimmie Lee Holt. I just don't see him as Alexis' type." he stated and then told Jason what he had found out about the Okie.

"Your right, she is more the button down type. Wait, are you saying that there is another Quartermaine out there?" he asked groaning.

"Maybe or we have to, for Sabine's sake find out Alexis connection to this Jimmie Lee." he offered. "I know that he left town years ago, that he doesn't get along with Edward."

Jason had no idea but asked what Steven needed.

"I was hoping since Elizabeth was at GH today, you would come with me to speak to Alexis." he asked. "I did some checking, her daughter has a shift at Kelly's and Molly is in LA with Ric."

"Why do you want me to come with you?" he asked doubtfully. "Alexis is still furious about AJ and has been quick to point out that she thinks I owe Sam something."

"Because if we are right and she was involved with this Jimmie Lee..." Steven had a smirk on his face "Think about it, she was engaged to your cousin Ned, the supposed daughter in question was with you... how do you think someone was tightly wound as Alexis is will react."

Jason got it and grabbed his jacket on the way out the door. Driving to the Lake House, he stood to the side while Steven knocked. When she opened it, he said "I need to speak to you in regards to your daughter Sabine."

Alexis moved out of the way glad that Steven would be treated her. When Jason came in as well, she frowned then asked if he was there about Sam. "No."

"What do you need then?" she asked.

"He is here with me." said Steven who said "Alexis, Sabine's blood showed an unusual anomaly, one that Michael has, one that Alan has but Jason doesn't. I looked into Ned Ashton's records and he has it as well. Who is Sabine's father?"

Flushing she stuttered then said "Why is it any of your business?"

"Well since we are aware of the anomaly I am running DNA tests comparing her blood to Jason's family's, you might want to get out ahead of this." he said then taking the picture he had gotten from the newspaper archives, he asked "Was this her father?"

Alexis didn't even look at the photo and said no. "Alexis, this is important."

Flushing a bit, she looked at the picture a bit surprised to see that it was the man. "Y-es, he is a bit older but that was my daughter's father? What are you doing with it?"

"Who did he tell you he was?" she was asked.

Alexis got a mulish expression on her face then said "He never told me, all I found out was that he was from Oklahoma."

"His name is Jimmie Lee Holt." Jason saw the horror and knew that Alexis had heard the name from Ned more than likely "Yeah, Alexis if Sam had been your daughter, Jason and her being involved was not a good thing, why didn't you tell anyone? I mean what name did he use?"

Looking in annoyance at Steven she said "Jimmie Lee With Lee as his last name."

"And you didn't think that maybe you should look into it." asked Jason furious with the woman who tended to stick her head in the sand about things that scared her. "What if Sam HAD been your daughter, Alexis?"

Refusing to answer, she sputtered a bit then asked them to leave then stopped them. "Wait, what does that have to do with my daughter having cancer?"

"There is a procedure, a lung transplant, I put her name up and she told me to take it off the list, that she is accepting that death is coming. I was hoping to give her family, a reason she might want to fight for her life." offered Steven who then said "But I think learning this latest revelation might just convince her that death is a better option than being related to you."

Seeing Alexis flinch, he said "What the hell were you thinking, or was it as long as Sam was happy, you didn't care? I mean, Alexis according to some you are a smart woman... Why on earth would you not go looking for the truth?"

Jason looked at her assessingly then said "If I remember right from Lila, Jimmie Lee was older, almost Alan's age. Alexis would have been a teenager, he an adult... so it can't be that, he would be facing the trouble for what happened."

Alexis just told them to leave, knowing she had to warn Sabine only to be told when she called the woman "I am well aware of my parentage unlike your fake child, I have made good use of my assets. It wasn't that hard to find out where you were when you got pregnant."

Alexis frowned then asked her to please, please just get help.

Alexis sat there, rationalizing things in her mind, trying to excuse her behavior knowing there was no excuse. In truth, she looked around the bedroom, the room she had shared with Ric, the man who had slept with her daughter, whose brother was the father of her other daughter, who had had a child with the woman she had thought was her daughter...

Alexis looked at her room, then decided she needed to redecorate, she couldn't change her past, couldn't change her memories so she would make outer changes and force herself to believe that that would make up for the mistakes she had made in the past.

Across town, Robin and Elizabeth were eating lunch together in the cafeteria when Maxie came in. "Elizabeth, where is Steven?"

"Hello to you too, Maxie." she offered up with a scowl as the blond paced back and forth. "Is there something we can help you with since I don't have my brother lowjacked?"

"No, I need to talk to him." she said leaving as quickly as she came. Robin looked aghast at not even being greeted, then shrugged as they went back to discussing Christmas both wondering what had Maxie so wound up.

"Anyhow, then Grams showed up and the boys were telling her about the ice cream. Jason slipped his list to Cam and I just handed my list for him to Grams." she said taking another bite of her salad. Looking down, she gave a little chuckle when she saw the light yellow scrub top straining across her chest a bit. "I am getting big a bit early."

"I wasn't going to say anything." sniped Robin in fear "After all how do you tell your friend she is getting a bit fat."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped, her eyes narrowed then she said "Well if we are being honest with one another, what about that little pouch you are getting or is it a case of you are finally eating regular meals."

"Shhh!" said Robin looking around gleefully. Then at Elizabeth. "I am telling Patrick for Christmas next week. It is going to be my big present to him. For now, I have decided to take up needlework."

"Oh is that what that thing was on the bench when we were changing." said Elizabeth laughing as she recalled the strange ball of yarn that had looked mangled beyond all recognition.

"My mother learned how to do it, I am sure I can." said Robin who then told Elizabeth about Anna's slight obsession with being a normal grandma and how quickly it had ended. "Ugh, I have to get back to work. What are you plans for the rest of the day?"

"I am finishing up the boys presents, then I have to get Jason to put them together. After that, I am going to talk to John Zachara. He was a bit jumpy if smug when he showed up here earlier today." said Elizabeth.

"I had a visit from him too." said Robin as they carried their trays to the trashcan. "He was asking the strangest questions then gave me a bottle of perfume."

"You got a present?" she asked pouting a bit. "I got grilled on all sorts of things including the notes we were getting back when this Sabine was in town last time. Is your Uncle going to arrest her for the murders of Anthony, Helena and Franco?"

"He is going to talk to her, she did confess in the newspaper but most people know she is dying so there isn't a lot of pressure on him to lock her away in a jail cell." said Robin as they left the room. "I feel bad for her, grateful for what she did but at the same time, she killed at least three people in cold blood."

"Cold blood is right, all three were snakes in the grass who deserved to be in jail, but they locked Helena up plenty of times and she always escaped." said Elizabeth who saw her in laws and went to greet then while Robin went back to her lab and her beakers.

Alan handed Elizabeth the proofs of the pictures he had taken a few days before of the boys, then said "I have a meeting with Mac Scorpio. Do you recall the girl I told you that stayed with me for a few weeks, but then her family showed up?"

Nodding Elizabeth got it. "Wait, that was Georgie?"

"Yes, I have strange memories of that time, with missing moments, Gail thinks that they tried to remove the memories of her from my brain. And I have a few questions regarding AJ." he said bleakly as that he had to have known some of what had happened to him.

Monica went home with her husband who reminded Elizabeth to let him know which of the photos she wanted enlarged then the nurse went to change. Stopping in at Kelly's, where the boys were eating lunch, she hugged her grams then heard something that made her annoyed.

Turning she said "Hello Carly. I heard you were in town from Jason. What can I do for you?"

"Get the hell out of my life." she said then added sarcastically "Please."

"Carly, I am not a part of your life. I haven't seen you nor thought of you once since you left town." she offered up with her bitch please face on. "You are the one trying to gain entrance to GH which you know is forbidden. Who showed up at my house, who came over to talk to me at a public diner."

"Public my ass, my family..." In the background, Catherine who had come in from her office heard Cam Morgan saying that the blond was saying bad words and approached as Carly continued. "owns this joint."

"No, Ms. Jacks. I am the owner of Kelly's." she said then heard all about how Carly's great aunt Ruby started it.

"Uh, Carly, no Ruby bought it when Rose Kelly died, but the Kelly family started it, hence the name Kelly's." politely offered Audrey who saw her granddaughter hide her grin as Carly flipped out.

Detective Dimisecto who had been trying to eat at the counter peacefully turned and said "Carly, one more word and I will arrest you for creating a public disturbance."

"You can't do..." With that she was told to turn around and cuffs were slapped on. "You are going to pay for this, you just wait until Diane gets a hold of you, I am going to sue you for false arrest, for..."

The door closed and Catherine looked around then said "Blessed silence again reigns."

Elizabeth and Audrey laughed while Jake looked at the door and said "Loud lady."

Audrey couldn't help thinking Carly was no lady as she gathered the boys then told Elizabeth that they and the guards were going to be baking cookies that afternoon. Elizabeth made a note to tell Jason about that so the guards could be thanked, she went on to get her shopping done.

Jason meanwhile had talked to his parents about Jimmie Lee, Alexis and what he knew. "We just saw Elizabeth, she didn't mention any of this."

"I know, I just got off the phone with her, she is the one who told me to come and speak to you about what Alexis thinking." he said with a sigh. "I just don't know what to think."

"Alexis Davis needs extensive therapy." offered up Alan as he poured himself a cup of tea then grimaced "Monica, what is this?"

"Tea, it is better for you than all that coffee." Jason commiserated with his father as Monica went to speak to the cook, explaining how Elizabeth's black tea frequently looked like his coffee and how often he had drank it by mistake.

John smiled at the trap he had set, hoping she showed up again that evening. No more running, no more sneak attacks. Ms Georgie Jones was not getting away this time he thought to himself as he entered his penthouse only to almost drop the bag in his hands when he saw the blond man sitting on his sofa.

"What the..." Looking at Frisco Jones, he said "Why are you here?"

"My daughter." he said then looked at the man then said "There are a few things you should know. Keven Collins and I have been talking about what she has been doing and now that you know who she is, you need to know the truth."

John looked at the secret agent then said "I am glad you are so interested in your daughter but I really have my doubts about you knowing the real reason. My guess is that whatever my father did to her is behind the need to take over my life."

Frisco walked over to the wall of windows and said "Georgie truly believed what your father told her. When Kevin finally got to the part of her that is my daughter, she was emotionally devastated to learn the truth. What that man did, creating this fantasy, something about it resonated with Georgie."

"Are you saying she is doing what she is because she wants it to be true?" he asked not letting the man know how that badly that stung as he thought about his own fantasies.

"I don't know, she won't talk to me about it." he said frustrated. "She won't talk to anyone. She has been ducking her sister and her cousin. It took me weeks to find out where she is staying. I had no idea that she even knew about Tony's cabin. Nor where she got the Land Rover she is driving back and forth. When I caught her, she disappeared on me yet again."

Glaring at the younger man, Frisco said "When she shows up here again, I need you to contact me, clearly Kevin is right and she needs more intensive therapy."

Johnny watched the man leave then went to his kitchen where he got out the chicken intending on cooking dinner. "My father is an idiot."

Whirling around at the sound of her voice, John said "What no more sneaking in late at night?"

"You saw me, kind of defeats the purpose." she said with a shrug as he took in the beautiful young woman wearing jeans, a thick cable knit sweater and boots.

"Will you tell me why?" he asked as he went back to cooking then with a glance at her said "Because I think your father is missing something."

"Oh he is, mainly the how to be a parent gene." she said then sitting on the nearby stool said with a sigh "First I owe you an apology but the explanation is going to sound like an excuse afterwords so how about I just talk."

"Lemon or lime?" he asked holding up the containers. When she replied lime he went back to cooking.

"When Kevin did his brilliant job at getting through my mental defenses and forced me to face the truth, nightmares started. I would see the accident, the one that before I couldn't picture. I would see you dead then could feel my body miscarrying."

When the man flinched she said "I would ache, physically when I woke up for a baby that didn't exist. Then I wasn't sleeping, the nightmares were taking over both my sleep and now my time awake. When I started with the WSB program it helped a little but not much."

Watching as John started cooking the rice, Georgie said "Then my father had to leave on a mission, the one that rescued Jason Morgan. I saw your picture in the file, and I knew that the answers I need, that you are the only person who can give them to me."

"Georgie, I know nothing about what happened to you." he stated stressing the word nothing. "I still don't understand it, my father is or rather was a lousy human being by any standard, yet what he did for you, minus of course the convincing you we were married is beyond anything he ever did for his children."

"I know, I remember a lot from before I was thought dead." she said sighing. "Look, how about you let me finish, then you can ask anything you want, okay?"

When he agreed, she continued on while John couldn't help wondering what she would think if instead of dinner, he found their way up to his bedroom and had them on his bed naked while he worked on making that dream of hers a reality.

"John are you listening to me?" she asked annoyed when she saw the peculiar expression on his face.

"yes." he promptly answered and went back to cooking dinner with quite a bit of regret.

"Where was I, oh yeah. I came to Port Charles after Frisco almost caught me at Uncle Tony's cabin and with the money I had took a room at that small boutique hotel on the edge of town. I had planned to see my sister, my cousin then the nightmares started again, then they got worse. I just wanted answers the first time I broke into this house, then I saw how I don't know how to say this, but how disorganized things were. You had hotel files all over the place, your clothes were a wreck, most of them were on the floor of your closet dirty."

"I have a maid." he said defending himself against being labeled a pig.

"I know." she said with a slight smile. "I met her. Told her I was your secretary/assistant. It was how I got access to fix and organize things for you."

"Why would you do that?" he asked her the question burning as he looked for answers.

"Because of what happened next. You didn't come home that night and I had been waiting, I was going to talk to you. Anyhow, I fell asleep on your bed. Was shocked at how well I slept. I came back the next night, once again intending to talk to you, but... well you were asleep and looked exhausted. You had a file on top of you so I just lifted it and I meant to put it on the desk next to the computer that was on but I saw all the unanswered e-mails."

"Your phone rang, it was Mercy. The woman who used to act as Jax' assistant and who was now your had called to say she wouldn't be in. I don't know why I did it but you looked so tired and clearly needed help... so I helped." she said simply. Then with a sigh she said "I sat down on the other side of the bed planning on waking you up to tell you about the car accident but you were having a nightmare and I felt bad."

Grimacing because he had been having those for years, he listened as she continued "I just meant to comfort you, but the next thing I knew it was almost seven o'clock in the morning and for the first time in almost nine months I was well rested."

Johnny remembered that night as she said "I was only going to help out but then I heard some of your staff talking about your wardrobe, so I took care of that. Then the designers needed answers, and the florist... I just did what I knew needed done and then the next thing I knew I was ordering groceries and then you got a call from GH about your flu shot and when I checked your records I saw you hadn't been to the dentist, it just snowballed."

Johnny was putting the food on plates, hiding his smile as he listened to her explanation of how she had accidentally taken over and organized his life. Hearing her frustration and confusion, he set down the plate in front of her, opened a drawer, gave her a fork then went to get them something to drink.

"What would you like?" he asked holding up a soda and a beer only for her answer to make him laugh as she ruefully relied milk.

Pouring her a glass he said "For future reference I prefer 2% or skim."

Her eye brow went up as she looked at him and said "I am trying to get myself to stop this, and you keep making suggestions, do you like my invasion of your life?"

"Eat." he said sitting down across from her then said "Yes, I do, now that I know you aren't some sort of crazy stalker. That note with the boxers scared me a bit."

That caused her to laugh as she sat down her fork then gave him a mischievous grin as she said "Good, that was what it was supposed to I had just heard about Lisa and wasn't feeling too fond of you at that moment."

"I know the feeling. I was lost and strangely enough in some sort of sick way she reminded me of my sister." he confessed.

"You had sex with a woman that reminded you of your sister?" she asked doubtfully.

"Not like that." he said glaring at her. "More like how lost and confused she seemed to be. Then it got out of hand."

"Don't kid yourself it was out of hand the moment she stepped into town." she replied darkly. "Women like that, they think they deserve whoever they want and don't care about the damage they cause. Trust me, I have been there plus spent years watching my sister in action. Too bad it took Lucky dying for her to finally realize what a scumbag he is, that pretty much that entire generation of Spencer is."

"Not all of them are that bad." he said softly. "I mean, Lulu was screwed over pretty badly by her parents, Georgie. Its why she is so insecure."

With a laugh she said "Really how is she any different than the rest of us. Elizabeth's parents abandoned her, so did Maxie and mine. Same thing with my cousin Robin. The only difference is that Lulu tries to use a whoa is me story to get attention."

Johnny didn't know the past but he was well aware that there was bad blood between Maxie and Lulu at one point. "I have to say that I give her credit for standing by Lucky when he was addicted. Most people would have bailed."

"Uh, wrong, she did bail. The whole Spencer family did. They put it all on Elizabeth who was pregnant at the time." she said dryly.

"I didn't know that, she said that she found it hard to stand by him but that she did. That she found it hard to forgive him for blowing his marriage to Elizabeth by getting involved with your sister. I like Maxie but I have to say, I can picture her her as the aggressor in that relationship from the way she was around him. Lulu forgave her for getting him addicted to drugs."

With that Georgie laughed then said "Yeah, real big of her. Johnny have the two of you ever discussed her past with Dillon."

"Dillon? No, I mean I know he was her first boyfriend and that they were careless and she got pregnant and had an abortion but otherwise no." he said frowning then admitted "I am not sure I am very comfortable discussing this with you. Lulu's past is just that, hers."

"You would be right, except where she forgot to mention that at the time she was sleeping with Dillon, he was married to me." she informed him. "Yeah, she had no right judging Maxie when she used Diego Alcazar to make it look like I was cheating on my husband and then set out to seduce him because she decided she wanted him."

That shut him down for a few minutes as his mind went back to the past, Johnny got that Lulu hadn't told him the whole story and that made him curious about the woman in front of him. "Anything else between the two of you?"

"Years and years of animosity that I tried to put away. See her father while single had a one night stand with my very married mother. Lucky and Maxie, then there is the fact that someone more than likely Laura Spencer killed a man in my parents house and her family covered it up."

"Ouch. I had no idea. I am surprised that Maxie and Lulu are pals or were pals then." he stated.

"I am shocked my sister almost married that idiot Damien Spinelli." she tossed out there. "By the way, I visited the geek in his new home in the house with the rubber rooms, every time he opened his mouth he gave himself away for the idiot he is."

"Spinelli, wow, I had forgot all about him." said Johnny. "I felt sorry for the kid, frankly I thought your sister connected the geek to you in some fashion, that it was what led to their friendship and later romance."

"Maybe, honestly don't care." she said with a shrug as she finished eating then said "I love my sister but I have never been blind to her faults. Look, I didn't mean to rag on Lulu, I actually feel sorry for her now. Her father is an idiot, her eldest brother was a psycho who locked up two people including a kid to try and win Elizabeth, her next brother who should have never come back died like he was meant to in a fire."

"I heard about that." said Johnny thinking on the reports in the newspaper about Lucky Spencers first supposed death. "What about you, Georgie Jones who are you and where do you go from here. Because I know what I would like and I have to admit I would love it if you were to stay here in town."

Georgie looked at him then said "There is really no choice. When I am away I can't sleep. You are apparently the best sedative in existence."

"Okay that sounds very bad." he replied then gently added "When are we going to discuss the white elephant in the room? When are we going to discuss what happened when we are in bed together because I will be completely honest and admit I don't want to stop."

With a sigh she said "I kind of thought that would be your reaction. John I don't know that I want to continue that part because I am uncomfortable with the fact that my body wants a man I barely know. I have had two lovers in my life. The first left me for Lulu, the second brought hell to town because he was chasing after her."

John swallowed hard on hearing that. "So where do we go from here?"

"I don't know but there is something else we have to discuss." she said her skin turning green as she returned to the living room then brought the small white plastic bag into the room and sat it down in front of him like it was a bomb.

Johnny opened it then turned pale as he stared between the woman who clearly wished he was any other man on the planet in spite of their intense attraction and what his father had pulled and the box that announced if the two lines were blue she was pregnant.

"We weren't using protection and honestly I never thought about it." she said sickly as she went to reach for the white box.

John found that he liked the idea but it was clear that Georgie didn't. "What happens if you aren't?"

"We find a way to help each other sleep but only after I get the prevention shot since condoms won't work and I can't take the pill right now." she said.

"And if you are pregnant?" he said softly his mind on what he would like to happen.

"I don't know, I truly don't." she said as she stared across the table at him. "We will know tomorrow morning, it is the best time to find out."

John stood, then picked up the box, carrying it to his bathroom then looking at her said "I know you aren't going to be happy about this, but I want to be a father."

Georgie looked at him then said with a heavy sigh "I am more scared about the nightmares coming true John. What if I am pregnant. What if there is an accident and what if you die and I am left alone but for real this time..."

The man held onto the trembling woman as he vowed to make sure that didn't happen. Tomorrow morning they would know either way.

Elizabeth was sitting on Jason and her bed as the phone rang. "Hello."

"Elizabeth, I need you help." said the woman on the other end. "Please?"

"Maxie what is it?" she asked as she could hear the other girl sobbing.

"Can you come to Crimson, please, Don't tell Robin or anyone." she said as she held the stick in front of her.

"I have to tell Jason." she was reminded.

"Fine, but please, please no one else." said the younger girl while Elizabeth said she would be right there. "Oh my god, how did this happen?"

Elizabeth saw the sexy smile on Jason's face and felt bad but she told him what was going on. Seeing his slight pout, she said "Hold that thought, I am sure whatever is going on, Maxie over dramatized it."

Jason went to check on the boys while Elizabeth drove over to the hotel. Entering the office for the magazine she found the petite blond sitting on the floor with what looked like a whole box of crumbled used tissues. "Maxie, what is it?"

Bursting into tears she said "I ruined his life, I didn't mean to, I swear."

Rubbing the shoulders of the crying girl, she got her to stand then said "Is Kate in her office?"

"No, no, she is dealing with Fredrico, he doesn't want us to film his wedding masterpiece until after the show but we need to put the magazine to bed before then." she said sniffling as she regained a small semblance of control.

"Wait Fredrico, the Spanish designer with the Italian name, the guy with the big ego and the small er- sized tool." she said lamely. Seeing Maxie's shock, she said "I used to work for Chloe when she was in town. They dated a long, long time ago. If he is why you are upset, just reminded him of how little freddy has a hard time keeping it up and that there are pictures."

Giggling, the blond suddenly started crying between sobs as she said "No, the person whose life I ruined is your brother. I saw him tonight, he is dating that pretty woman from the newspaper. He is never going to believe me. I don't believe me."

"Okay, how is who my brother might be dating is relevant." she said.

"I'm pregnant and he is the father but he doesn't know because I lied and told him we only fell asleep together that nothing happened." she said all in one breath. "I am so sorry, Elizabeth but I know what he thinks of me. I know he thinks I am too young but it was only once. I don't regret it, but now... now I do. I ruined his life."

As she began crying again Elizabeth listened as Maxie told about ending things with Matt and how she had gone over to talk to Steven because he had been so nice to her. How they had discussed her article for the magazine then how they had been watching movies together. "Then he felt really really warm. I meant to put my check against his forehead, then next thing I knew we were kissing and it was sooo hot. I am sorry but damn Elizabeth, your brother can kiss."

That threw Elizabeth's mind into a tailspin as Maxie continued to explain how she had meant to keep it at a kiss but somehow it was like their clothes had magically come off. "I don't get it, I mean sex is just sex, it has never been like that before where I don't remember losing clothes."

Elizabeth knew what she didn't, that sometimes sex was making love, making desperate love to someone you can't resist. Her mind on Jason and the night Jake was created she almost missed what Maxie said next.

"I can't help it. I mean I like him, I really, really like him but he keeps reminding me how old he is. I didn't notice he was sick, not until the morning when he threw up. I had gone to shower and when I came back to the bedroom he was so shocked to see me." she said as the tears began again. "I lied and said I had come over to see him but had stayed because he was sick. He thanked me for taking care of him."

Elizabeth patted Maxie on the back and held the girl as she started to cry again then took what the blond had in her hands, then was given fifteen more from her pockets. "Maxie you ran fifteen pregnancy tests?"

"I kept hoping for one to tell me the others were a false positive." she whimpered. "But it didn't happen, Elizabeth. I was worried at first about not being able to pee enough but for the last month all I have wanted to do is sleep and pee. And I have cried at the drop of a hat. What am I going to do."

"For now, you are going to come with me." she said firmly as she took the young woman to the fourth floor. Seeing Marty she thanked him then told Maxie to shower then go to sleep. "I promise we will have an answer in the morning."

"Thank you, Elizabeth." she said the tears still there. "I am sorry, I am sure I am the last person you want to hear about being pregnant."

"Go to sleep Maxie and stop imagining things." she said as she found the blond hadn't bothered with a shower but had climbed straight into the bed with her clothes on, only kicking off her heels. In the hallway, Elizabeth thanked Marty for his help then laughed when he said "Mr. Zachara said to keep this room for Mr. Morgan and you."

Grimacing a little as she returned to Crimons's offices and gathered all the pregnancy tests, then she in a moment of deviousness called Steven. "Can you meet me at the Metro?"

"Be there in five." he said as he left the hospital after yet another long night. Seeing his sister sitting on one of the sofa's now in the lobby he said "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I need you to be honest with me about Maxie Jones." she said gently.

Flushing Steven said "I am too old for her."

"Yet you are attracted to her." she said bluntly. Seeing Steven's face she said "You can't help who you love, big brother."

"Yes you can." he insisted. "Elizabeth, I swore I would never be a father, would never pass on Heather's genes to any kid. So that means stopping myself from being anything more than casual bed partners with any woman."

Elizabeth felt bad but then took the small bag and poured the sticks on his lap. "Too late, Steven."

"Wait, what is this?" he asked looking at the various sticks and how they all showed a positive result. "Elizabeth, I haven't had sex with anyone since Olivia."

"What about the reporter?" she asked worried she was about to implode another woman's life.

"No, she is too aggressive for me." he stated. "Elizabeth who do these belong to?"

Taking a leap of faith she said "If they could belong to anyone who would you want them to belong to?"

"Don't go there." he warned her as his eyes closed.

"Steven. Maxie lied about the night you were sick because of your telling her you were too old for her, she likes you. You won't admit it but we both know your like her. Go upstairs and talk to her when she wakes up. She is in room 419. These are hers and she is convinced she is going to ruin your life."

Seeing how white he looked she said "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

"Not funny Elizabeth." he said shortly then standing and falling back down he said "Oh my god, Mac Scorpio is going to kill me and you have never seen his CRV, he could do it. I am dead."

"Don't worry about Mac or about Frisco." she said smirking as she saw his eyes widen. "Worry about the very scared woman who just found out that she is pregnant and that hoping you aren't doesn't really work."

"She is unhappy?" he said upset.

"Yes, she is upset, Steven she likes you, she has lied before and is scared you are going to think she is lying now. She is pregnant and from the sounds of it, very emotional. Add that to what I am sure are worries about her heart and being pregnant..."

Watching as her brother rushed off with the room key she had had in her hands, Elizabeth stood and walked towards the exit only to be stopped by Jax. "How are you?"

"Doing better." he replied. "Uh, I heard about Carly bothering Jason and you, I am sorry."

"Don't apologize for someone else's behavior, Jax." she replied as the tall blond looked exhausted. "How is Alexis and her daughter?"

"There is no hope for Sabine, she accepts that, Alexis like usual is in denial about everything." he said then added. "I am taking Carly home in two days but until then I hate to say it but you shouldn't be out without a guard."

"I have one." she said pointing to the unobtrusive man in the corner. "Jax, why are you still married to her?"

"For Morgan and Joss." he replied as he walked toward the elevator after saying goodbye.

Elizabeth hurried home, soon telling Jason all that was going on. As he held her curled up in bed, they went over their plans for the holidays then Jason said "I talked to Michael and Alan today. They are going to visit with AJ. Find out what he did and why he did it."

Shivering she said "I should have seen something was wrong, that there had to be a reason our connection wasn't there."

"Elizabeth you thought I had lost my mind and was back with the woman who hurt our child, I think you deserve to be forgiven for not noticing that AJ wasn't me." he replied. "Besides, the way I look at it, he has already paid some of his penance, after all he was sleeping with Sam."

Giggling, Elizabeth said "He didn't look too upset about that."

Jason almost said well what do you expect from a man who also slept with Carly and Courtney but with a sick feeling he kept his mouth shut. He himself had had that same bad taste. Carly had been while he hadn't known better, Courtney had been about trying to recover from the mess his life had been without Elizabeth. Sam however, well he had no excuse for.

Snuggling closer she said "I was thinking how do you feel about after the art auction we get away while we can?"

"Italy?" he asked lifting his head only to hear her light snoring and laughed while making plans to take his family to Europe as his mind went to those falsified records. Diane had finally figured it out with Jackson Montgomery.

Sonny's paintings had had their provenance, Nik had tried to use those to cover for the very illegal paintings his father and grandmother had bought. They were trying to locate the real owners but it was becoming clear that the Cassadines had done some very dirty dealings that had involved murder for art they had wanted.

Jason was about to fall asleep when something occurred to him. He wondered whatever had happened to the painting Elizabeth had done for him, it was time for it to come home, out of whatever storage unit she had it stashed in.

He had no idea how it had been ruined by Elizabeth in a moment of rage, now how badly it would hurt the next day when he mentioned it to her...

TBC


End file.
